

By Lauren Miró, Paul Gaba and Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington Mayor Darell Bowen earned a second term Tuesday, March 9, easily defeating equestrian activist Carol Coleman.
About 3,800 voters cast ballots, and according to unofficial results, Bowen took 2,302 votes (60.6 percent) to Coleman’s 1,495 votes (39.4 percent).
The other Wellington race on the ballot was not decided when the returns came in Tuesday evening.
With three candidates vying to replace term-limited Council-
woman Lizbeth Benacquisto in Council Seat 2, no one received more than 50 percent of the vote. The top two vote getters — longtime resident Anne Gerwig and former Wellington employee Ernie Zimmerman — will head to a Tuesday, March 23 runoff.
Gerwig was the top vote getter, taking 1,813 votes (48.3 percent) to Zimmerman’s 1,543 votes (41.1 percent). Realtor Wismick St. Jean ran a distant third, taking 397 votes (10.6 percent).
MAYOR’S RACE
After the polls closed, Bowen gathered with supporters at the White Horse Tavern to await the
wife Lori after the election results were announced.
results. The party was cheerful, with friends and family members congratulating Bowen for his hard work over the past two years as well as extending hopes that he would get to serve a second term.
A number of community leaders attended, including several representatives from the Wellington and Palms West chambers of commerce. All four of Bowen’s fellow council members stopped by to offer congratulations. With early absentee ballot results showing Bowen ahead, Election Day results began arriving at about 10 p.m. Bowen led throughout the evening, topping challeng-
er Coleman by a 60 percent to 40 percent margin.
Once his win was official, an excited Bowen stood on a stool near the bar and thanked his supporters. He noted that the campaign had been marked by a number of negative attacks against him and his record.
“Every time one of those nasty
cam-
Tuesday
for
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
After 16 years on the dais, Royal Palm Beach Vice Mayor Matty Mattioli earned a promotion Tuesday, March 9, easily defeating former village employee Steve Petrone in the race to replace retiring Mayor David Lodwick.
About 1,600 voters cast ballots, and according to unofficial results, Mattioli took 1,200 votes (75.3 percent) to Petrone’s 393 votes (24.7 percent).
Attorney Richard Valuntas bested engineer Tinu Peña in the race to fill Mattioli’s council seat. Valuntas took 958 votes (60.5 percent) to Peña’s 626 votes (39.5 percent).
Mattioli, now the Royal Palm Beach mayor-elect, told the TownCrier on Wednesday that he does not foresee any radical changes during his tenure but is concerned about providing a continued level of service during trying economic times that could get worse before they get better.
“I’m overwhelmed with the support that I had from residents and the number of votes that I got,” Mattioli said. “I think they feel very comfortable that I can carry on the village’s business, and that’s what I intend to do primarily. I don’t foresee any great chang-
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
es. I think the thing that will keep me and all the council on track is our financial situation, which is good.”
Mattioli noted that village staff predicts a 14-percent reduction in revenue in 2011. “We’ll have to make some choices that I’m not too happy about, but if we stay the way we are, and it gets no worse, we can have budget 2011 the same as budget 2010, possibly a nickel off the tax rate, but I wouldn’t guarantee that.”
If the council does face more budget cuts, Mattioli said he would try to achieve reductions through employee attrition rather than layoffs.
Mattioli ran for mayor once before in 1999, narrowly losing to Lodwick.
When Mattioli takes over as mayor, there will be one new face on the council — Valuntas. The new mayor complimented Valuntas on the way he ran his campaign.
“He worked very hard on his campaign,” Mattioli said. “He seems to be interested in being part of a group that is for good fiscal management, so I think it will work out OK.”
Valuntas spent a large portion of Wednesday picking up his campaign signs.
“I cleaned up as many as humanly possible,” he told the TownCrier. “I went to village hall and tendered my resignation to the Recreation Advisory Board, so I’m officially finished with that, and I guess next Thursday is the reorganization meeting where I’ll get sworn in.”
Valuntas said he anticipates a short learning curve on the council. “As long as I’ve been living here I’ve been paying attention and trying to keep my eye on what’s been going on,” he said. “I think I’m pretty up to speed with a lot of the stuff. Like everyone, I can’t see or know everything but, yeah, I’m pretty well-versed so far.”
His goals include addressing issues at Royal Palm Beach High School, looking again at the Madrid Street connection to the State Road 7 extension and getting a local alarm ordinance in place to override countywide policy on not responding to unregistered alarms.
Valuntas said he met with School Board Member Dr. Sandra Richmond during the campaign, hoping to work toward improving the high school’s D rating and reduce violence. “The fact that we have feeder
The action arose over an issue with 43rd Road North where some property owners contend that the road is on private property, although some of their neighbors use it for property access.
Drawing empowerment from the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors directed its staff Monday, March 8 to develop a policy authorizing the district administrator to grade roads if the LGWCD receives notification from law enforcement, fire-rescue or postal agencies indicating that a road is impassible.
“The town is committed to taking over 43rd Road North,” Saunier said. “Being a special-pur-
page 4
District Administrator Clete Saunier said representatives of the Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee, made up of Loxahatchee Groves town and district officials, recently decided to come up with an interlocal agreement to coordinate grading using the town’s greater power as a general-purpose government, whereas the district’s power as a special district is more restricted.
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
Construction on a new branch library serving The Acreage should begin by the end of this year and open in the spring of 2012, according to Palm Beach County Library Director John Callahan. The building, designed by Ur-
ban Design Kilday Studios, is intended to blend in with the rest of the architecture in the community. “It has a bit of a rural flavor,” Callahan said.
The structure will be the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified county library building.
“The building will be more en-
ergy efficient; it’ll use less water and generally have less impact on the environment and save us money in the long run, particularly for energy costs,” Callahan said.
The LEED construction has made the building more difficult to design and harder to get everything working, but Callahan said
page 20
The Town-Crier newspaper, with support from the Village of Wellington, will host a televised candidates’ forum Monday, March 15 at the Wellington Community Center featuring the two candidates advancing to a Tuesday, March 23 runoff election for Wellington Village Council Seat 2. Longtime Wellington resident Anne Gerwig and former village employee Ernie Zimmerman will appear one on one starting at 7 p.m. The public is invited to attend, and questions will be solicited from the audience.
“Hopefully, this event will help increase awareness of the March 23 runoff election and increase voter turnout in what have historically been elections marked by very low voter participation,” Town-Crier Publisher Barry Manning said. In the race to succeed Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, Gerwig garnered 1,813 votes (48.3 percent) to Zimmerman’s 1,543 votes (41.1 percent). Realtor Wismick St. Jean took 397 votes (10.6
percent). Since no candidate had more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff was scheduled. The March 15 forum will begin at 7 p.m. First candidates will have three minutes for opening statements, followed by a series of questions posed by the moderator, Town-Crier Executive Editor Joshua Manning. Each candidate will have two minutes to answer each question. This will continue for about 40 minutes. During the first half of the forum, the Town-Crier will solicit written questions from the audience, which will be asked by the moderator during the second half of the forum. The candidates will answer as many questions as possible. At the end of the forum, each candidate will have two minutes for closing statements, with the forum ending at 8:30 p.m. The forum will be broadcast on Channel 18, Wellington’s cable television station. The Wellington Community Center is located at 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd. For directions,
Miranda noted.
Other musical entertainment includes Journey tribute band Odyssey Road and the Brass Evolution. “These are all top-quality, great entertainment bands,” Miranda said. Area studio dancers and school groups also will be featured on the community stage.
While there will not be acts generally considered national in scope, Miranda said that at other chamber-sponsored events, national acts have not drawn signif-
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
Royal Palm Beach Village Council members decided Thursday, March 4 to organize a public meeting to discuss ways to help keep existing businesses in the village and attract new ones.
The effort grew out of the organizational meeting of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce’s new Economic Development Task Force, attended by Vice Mayor Matty Mattioli and council members David Swift and Martha Webster on Feb. 24. That meeting focused on ways to create jobs.
“It’s a long-range program and obviously, we’re trying to develop economic opportunities not just for Royal Palm Beach but for Palm Beach County,” Mattioli said.
One key to the plan is to have sites ready for economic development opportunities.
“We only get one shot at people who want to come in and develop a business here,” Mattioli said. “Zoning, water and sewer, that all has to be done when you present it to them. We’re going to participate as much as we can.”
Swift stressed that short-term help is needed to get local businesses through the bad economy.
“Only the strong are surviving,” said Swift, who suggested holding a public meeting on the topic.
“One thing I was thinking about was the little guys in the shopping plazas who are way back there and have very poor signage. People don’t know they’re there,” Swift said. “I’d be willing to let our staff take a look at our signage [rules] and if we could potentially relax something that’s not going to have a big impact.” Swift said a community meeting would be a way to get a dialogue started.
“I heard a lot of talk about bringing large businesses in,” he said. “We need to focus from my point of view on keeping what we have right now. Businesses are
look to allow special event
rather than change
By Ron Bukley
Staff Report
As the state government plans to open a storefront community resource center to answer Acreage cancer cluster questions, the Palm Beach County Commission is exploring new regulations on monitoring construction site fill materials — an issue raised by some as possibly related to the cancer concerns.
County Commission Chairman
Aaronson’s request came in response to a letter from the Indian Trail Improvement District asking for an inquiry into the use and monitoring of the material, which consists largely of ground-up construction debris and demolition material.
ITID President Michelle Da-
Burt Aaronson asked Tuesday that a letter be written to the Palm Beach County Health Department asking about the monitoring of what is known as “recovered screen material” or RSM.
mone said the district’s letter was in response to a discussion about the material at a cancer cluster public meeting held Feb. 9 at Seminole Ridge High School. An Acreage resident had asked about the use of the material, which is used as fill and then covered with a layer of topsoil. “We wanted to know if the county regulated the material,” Damone said. “I believe that is why the county is responding and the chairman is sending out his letter.”
Damone noted that the Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection monitors the material in Broward County where it has cited a distributor, Sun Recycling in Lantana. In Palm Beach County, the distributor has not been cited by the monitoring agency, the Palm Beach County Department of Health, she said.
“Obviously the DEP is a little more aggressive than the health department, because the same manufacturer has received fines
and notices in regard to the material,” Damone said. “They provide the same material in Broward County as Palm Beach County, but Broward County is regulated by the DEP, and in Palm Beach County they are regulated by the health department.”
While some have suggested RSM use is linked to the cancer cluster, Damone said more regulation of the material is required even if the issues are not linked.
“In Broward, they have re-
ceived fines and notices, and in Palm Beach County they haven’t received any, at least recently,” she noted. “So I’m actually looking forward to the written response in regard to RSM, and that’s with or without a cancer cluster.”
Tim O’Connor, spokesman for the county health department, said Sun Recycling is one of several RSM operations the department monitors.
“We do monitor the recycling
Recently, we commented on Wellington’s burgeoning town center project and how the village’s identity is changing from that of a bedroom suburb to a self-sufficient, dynamic community. This week, we’d like to shine a similar light on Wellington’s neighbor to the north, Royal Palm Beach, which is undergoing some changes of its own. Despite having passed the half-century mark last year, the village is hardly showing its age. When a section of Royal Palm Beach Blvd. is temporarily closed off the weekend of March 20-21, it’s not for repairs, but for fun, as the inaugural Royal Palm Art & Music Festival gets underway. While it has been years since area residents have had to travel east “into town” to do any serious retail shopping, when it comes to entertainment, we haven’t been as lucky. But that too is gradually changing, thanks to an ever-growing offering of special events. We expect that this new Royal Palm Art & Music Festival will give us one more thing to look forward to each year. A joint production of the Village of Royal Palm Beach and the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, the festival will feature a smorgasbord of entertainment, from the artistic (street painting) to the entrepreneurial (a business expo) and even the athletic (kayak races). Of course, there’ll be plenty of live music, with performances by “the Young James Brown” Tony
Don’t Use Our Money To Fix Violations
Editor’s note: The following is in response to the article “Loxahatchee Groves Council Takes Aim At Foreclosures” published last week.
Bill Hammond’s idea to repair code violations on foreclosed and/ or abandoned homes to save property values is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic!
For whatever reason, these people have left their homes. Say it with me — left their homes! You know, one big piece of the American Dream.
Mr. Hammond’s idea to fund this delusional adventure through the Town of Loxahatchee Groves coffers is asinine. His quote in the March 5 article said, “[It is] my idea that we as Loxahatchee Groves create ordinances with regard to maintaining these properties inside and out…” Mr. Hammond explained the town could do the repairs and send the bills to the owner. What makes him think the owners will give one stinkin’ iota to yet another lien on their house or be remotely concerned with paying the town back? They are gone!
Mr. Hammond is a Realtor and a longtime figure in the Loxahatchee community — he knows better than this. This is pure supposition: maybe Mr. Hammond knows somebody who does repair. Hmm? Again — supposition — if Mr. Hammond’s project gets off the ground, maybe the homes closest to his are the first to be repaired. Hence, he recoups the value of his asset and sells. Now let’s all wave goodbye to Mr. Hammond and watch the project burn out and fade away. There is nothing noble about this idea. Count and locate the homes; let whoever holds the mortgage use their money to fix the violations.
Things aren’t what they used to be — get used to it. We all need to be more responsible with money, debt management and priorities. I will neither clean up nor fund correction of someone’s code violations.
Laura Danowski
Loxahatchee Groves
‘Disaster
As a resident of Palm Beach County for more than 60 years and of The Acreage since 1984, I wish to share my thoughts in regard to the cancer cluster.
Our two daughters were raised
here are now healthy adults. Until the water lines were put in place, we had well water. We were given the option to hook up to the lines, for which we paid the same amount as anyone else in the county at the time (2007). Sewer lines were also put into place, but we were not allowed to hook up to them. In my opinion, it would be logical to allow hookup to the sewer lines to stop what our septic tanks are putting into the ground and decrease further contamination of the well water. The longtime homeowners of this area are aware of the fact that some old wells are closer to septic tanks and ponds than is now allowed, which could result in contamination of the well water. Also, some of the wells are so shallow that you are in effect drinking ground water, possibly contaminated by runoff.
An article published by the Town-Crier, which mentions that our County Commissioner Jess Santamaria wants to declare The Acreage a disaster area, much the same as the areas hit by hurricanes Andrew and Katrina, really upset me. This should not be done until more studies are done and we finally know the cause for the abnormal numbers of brain cancers. According to a study by the Department of Health titled “Epidemiologic Mapping of Florida Childhood Cancer Clusters” most of South Florida has double the amounts of cancer it should have. There needs to be more coverage of this in the local news media. Take the focus away from The Acreage and examine all the surrounding areas. Please, do not unjustly drive our property values down with a disaster declaration. It is my understanding that Realtors are now requiring a disclosure form before closing on property in The Acreage. If all South Florida is suffering from increased cancers, then it appears this disclosure form is discriminatory to homeowners in The Acreage. To be fair, it should be required of all homeowners in South Florida who are trying to sell, since South Florida is one big cancer cluster. In closing, I would like to extend my sympathies to all the families of the children with brain cancer. May the cause be found soon. Joseph Schuessler The Acreage Stop The Birds!
Editor’s note: The following letter is in response to Deborah Welky’s column “I May Be In The Minority, But I Am Just Not A Bird Lover” published Feb. 26. Dear Ms. Welky: I related to your column in the
Wilson (a real show stopper), Journey tribute band Odyssey Road and the Brass Evolution. More importantly — and this is what makes this a true community event — the festival will showcase bands from area schools, giving young musicians a chance to play for a diverse audience that otherwise wouldn’t have seen them.
For people whose talents are of the gastronomic variety, there’s a chicken wing contest as well as a beer garden for those hops and barley “connoisseurs.” Children will have a chance to show off their creative side and fill their tummies in an edible art program, and there’s the Pirates & Princesses contest for the young ones. Even pooches will have their moment in the spotlight with the Totally Talented Tailwaggers contest. And to change the pace a little bit, a night-time laser light show will be held over Lake Challenger.
Altogether, this makes for a well-rounded, inexpensive weekend of family entertainment and a great addition to the list of annual events local residents have to look forward to each year. It’s more evidence that the western communities are not just a great place to live, but an exciting place to be as well. For more information about this great community event, visit www.royalpalmbeachfestival.com.
Feb. 26 issue. You described a situation that we have been living through for quite awhile.
It all started about two years ago (February 2008) with this bird perched in a tree overlooking our bedroom. About 3 a.m. the screaming started, and every few seconds it let out a blood-curdling scream that could be heard over a large part of Lake Wellington. After many nights of losing sleep, I called the state wildlife people. I tried to make a similar sound like the bird. They thought it was the limpkin. I asked them if I could kill it. They said no, that it is protected. (I guess the human species is not protected.) After a few more weeks it went away. We didn’t hear it very often in 2009. Now it is back louder than ever.
We appreciated your column. Your experience was similar to ours. Are you aware of anything that we can do to scare them away? Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Lindy Stevens Wellington
After reading David Kline’s letter “Mattioli Needs To Be Retired,” I was surprised that the Town-Crier actually printed it. The letter contains unsubstantiated and possibly slanderous claims. I am also familiar with Greenway Village South, and like Mr. Kline, I do not live there, and like Mr. Kline cannot vote in this election (he is a full-time resident in Lake Worth), but the difference is that Mr. Kline is on a personal mission to destroy all the good Mr. Mattioli has done for Greenway Village South and Royal Palm Beach. Mr. Kline’s unsupported claims must not influence any Royal Palm Beach resident.
After reading Mr. Kline’s letter, it is apparent that Mr. Kline has some personal grudge against Matty, who is a full-time resident and has performed admirably, honestly and ethically all his life.
As a non-resident, the information I received came from most of the residents of Greenway Village South who have worked directly with Matty and are content with his actions and dedication to both his home community and the greater community of Royal Palm Beach. The editors of the TownCrier should be ashamed for printing this hate-filled letter.
I realize that this letter will not be printed in time for the election, and I am sure that the voters of Royal Palm Beach will regard Mr. Kline’s “informative” letter’s only
value is at the bottom of a bird cage.
Elliot Gordon West Palm Beach
I have been reading the letters about [Wellington’s] “Patriot Memorial,” and I have come to the conclusion that if it is about the events of 9/11, it should not be called the Patriot Memorial, it should be named “Wellington’s Memorial to 9/11” or the “Heroes of 9/11 Memorial.”
If we want to call it the Patriot Memorial, we have to include all of the patriots this country has had since its inception in 1776, not just 9/11. There are a lot of patriots, including all veterans. A patriot as defined in the dictionary is “one who loves his country and zealously guards its welfare; esp., a defender of popular liberty.” I do not think that anyone who died on 9/11 fits this definition. They were heroes as defined in the dictionary as “a man distinguished for exceptional courage, fortitude or bold enterprise; one idealized for superior qualities or deeds of any kind.” As you can see, the firemen and policemen who rushed into the World Trade Center were heroes, as is any other person who risks their own life and safety to save another — just as the people who went into the collapsed buildings in Haiti to save the people trapped inside are heroes.
As far as it goes, when someone said this is the only time the United States of America has been attacked on its own soil, they forgot about the War of 1812, and when Poncho Villa crossed the border from Mexico and destroyed a whole town in Texas. Even Florida was attacked in World War II.
I consider myself a patriot as a veteran and lover and defender of his country. I also honor any hero who risks his life for that of another. Please do what is right.
Dennis Smith Wellington
Editor’s note: The following is the final of three letters by Frank Morelli regarding the economic hardships facing the City of Pahokee.
In my last letter, I discussed the
40-percent unemployment rate in Pahokee and pointed out that all the millions of tax dollars spent have not created one private industry job, and in fact over the years thousands of jobs have been lost.
To make matters worse, current government programs now threaten the last remaining industry in the area. For businesses to succeed, they will need tax abatements, energy supplements and an expedited permitting process.
For all the political rhetoric, existing businesses are not willing to locate in Pahokee. New enterprises with less government involvement and existing retailer support are the answer. Moving an established business like an aircraft parts manufacturer to Pahokee can be as slow as an iceberg.
I would propose the creation of an association of workers who share in the profits of the venture. These workers would have more than just a job. This venture would give them a career among a community of workers in a production facility in their local neighborhood, and I would expect this model to engender loyalty and commitment to excellence.
Private industry can offer jobs to these workers weaving socks, or making other consumer products where they will have legal, permanent employment and where retail businesses will make a commitment to purchase the output of these made-in-Pahokee commodities. Running an automated weaving machine to make socks does not require intensive training. Anyone who can drive a car can operate these machines. With the involvement of local retailers and government, creating full employment one job at a time is not a daunting task.
Publix, the largest and fastest growing employee-owned supermarket, can not only serve as an example of the success of private enterprise, it can also play a significant roll in the success of Pahokee. Major local retailers like these should be rewarded if they agree to purchase consumer goods manufactured in Pahokee by local residents. Having a ready market for products that are competitive in price and quality would justify financing and enable new business to repay grants for start-
up operations. Pahokee is not going to see 20,000 jobs created any time soon, but it may be able to participate in an effort to create one job at a time until everyone has an opportunity to work and earn a living wage.
Any time County Commissioner Jess Santamaria would like to discuss how this program can grow jobs, I invite his participation. I am committed to making this plan a reality, and I am certain that there are other individuals who are interested and capable of assisting in carrying out this concept. I am willing to work with them to achieve this result. Frank Morelli Wellington
Almost 200 years ago, James Madison wrote, “A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both.” His words remain a call to action today.
Given the gravity of the issues facing our nation, access to this information allows citizens to hold their government accountable at the local, state and national level. Whether it is to track how federal stimulus dollars are being spent or to attend a local government meeting where land use or school funding decisions are being made, “sunshine laws” afford us access and create government transparency. March 14-20 is Sunshine Week (held around Madison’s birthday), a national initiative to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information. I encourage everyone to attend a local government meeting or visit the county web site at www. pbcgov.com to learn more about what our government is doing. The League of Women Voters (www.lwvpbc.org) continuously answers Madison’s call to action, working to keep our community fair, vibrant and strong — starting with having an open and transparent government.
Kathe Thompson, President Palm Beach County League of Women Voters Wellington
The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail them to letters@goTownCrier.com
When my bride and I first saw the Capitol Steps many eons ago, it was in a smoke-filled, noisechallenged nightclub in the Georgetown section of Washington, D.C. Somewhat miraculously, when the satire geniuses were introduced, the noise abated and the smoke thinned appreciably.
The audience was ready for one and a half hours of mirth, madness and some of the most clever
continued from page 1 pose district, we are limited in what we can do. The town has much more authority.”
Saunier added that the town had received a letter from Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue indicating that the ungraded road has become impassible.
and...
By Jules W. Rabin
lampooning lyrics this side of the legendary Forbidden Broadway. No time to talk, not even time to puff on a cigarette… barely
Supervisor Darlene Crawford made a motion to grade 43rd Road North because of emergency conditions, which was seconded by Supervisor Robert Snowball. Crawford said she would like to get the road graded as soon as possible.
enough time to catch a breath between peals of laughter. Capitol Steps originated some 19 years ago in D.C. when a group of Congressional staffers put on a rag-tag show at the Christmas party of former Sen. Charles Percy. Now, after recording 29 albums of searing satire about the big, bossy and beautiful on the national scene, they remain at the top of their game with gigs all over America.
Supervisor John Ryan said he would like to see a statement from the town’s attorney affirming that the district can operate under the town’s authority. “At some point, I would like to have it clarified,” Ryan said.
I mean, where else would you laugh at a spoof called “The Fly of the Tiger” or a healthcare ditty named “Cash for Codgers”? And yes, where else is there “HillaryBillies,” “Oprabama” and “God Bless Our SUVs”?
The Capitol Steps — these peerless, equal-opportunity satirists — have new songs about “The Age of Stimulus,” “Mine Every Mountain,” plus other splendidly titled
songs like “Juan Nation,” “TSA: Moist and Dangerous” and “Axels of Evils” to name a few. The real problem is that Capitol Steps do not get to our neck of the woods very often. Luckily, they’re here at the Kravis Center in West Palm Beach March 11-14! If you miss it, they do have a web site (www.capitolsteps.com), so you can track down their wandering itinerary and then plan ahead. It is guaranteed to be worth it. Who says so besides me? Larry King, for one. Also, the Wall Street Journal , television’s The McLaughlin Group and the New York Times. Another unreserved booster is former President George Bush Sr. “Capitol Steps make it easier to leave public life,” he crooned on his way out. Check out Capitol Steps — you will definitely love the show!
LGWCD attorney Mary Viator said it was important for the district to work with the town on this subject. “The town does have the general purpose power,” she said. “We do have to be very careful with regard to this type of work.”
Supervisor Don Widing added that the district must also define what constitutes an “emergency.” He suggested giving the district administrator the authority to interpret what is an emergency. “We had a condition that when it rained, that road was impassible and the people were stuck,” Widing said. “They could not get out and fire-rescue could not get in.”
LGWCD Chairman Dave DeMarois suggested an amendment to the motion offering a policy that would give the district administrator authority to grade a road whenever he receives a letter of notification regarding an impassible road without having to bring it to the board.
“We need a policy that once we receive a written request, [Saunier] can take care of it without a board meeting,” DeMarois said. “That way he can address it so the sheriff can get down to stop somebody from being murdered or firerescue can get down there if somebody is having a heart attack. Those are situations that have, in fact, occurred in Loxahatchee Groves in the past.” Crawford agreed to amend her motion to call for the development of a policy authorizing the administrator to order grading if he receives such a letter. The revised motion carried unanimously.
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report
MARCH 6 — A deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Acreage/Loxahatchee substation was dispatched to a home on Citrus Grove Blvd. last Saturday night regarding a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim arrived home with her children at approximately 10 p.m. and was inside her house when her son said their dog was barking at something on the pool patio. The victim went to the door and observed three unknown males inside her screened-in patio, and one of them was swinging a bat at the dog. According to the report, the victim retrieved her gun, went outside and began to yell at the suspects, who ran away from the residence toward 130th Trail. Deputies canvassed the area but could not find the suspects, and the victim said she did not know them and hadn’t given anyone permission to enter her patio. The suspects are described as white males in their late teens or early 20s, with short hair, wearing dark clothing.
•
MARCH 3 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded to a home in Eastwood last Wednesday morning regarding an act of vandalism. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 3:15 p.m. last Tuesday and 6:20 a.m. the following morning, someone broke the rear window of the victim’s SUV, causing approximately $200 in damage. The unknown suspects did not gain entry to the vehicle, and nothing was stolen. There was no surveillance footage of the incident.
MARCH 3 — A Wellington woman was arrested on drug charges early last Wednesday morning following a traffic stop at the corner of Greenview Shores Blvd. and Meadow Avenue. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 1:16 a.m., a deputy from the Wellington substation pulled over 18-year-old Brittany Balcaitis, who was found to be in possession of .2 ounces of marijuana and a multicolored glass smoking pipe. Balcaitis was arrested for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and released at the scene with a notice to appear in court.
MARCH 4 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center last Thursday evening regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 5 and 6:42 p.m., someone entered the victim’s unsecured vehicle and stole a Coach purse containing credit cards and checkbooks. The stolen items were valued at approximately $600. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.
MARCH 5 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded to a beauty supply store on State Road 7 last Friday evening regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 7:50 p.m., an unknown black female entered the store with a large purse and took a display item off the wall, along with a box, and placed them both in her purse. The suspect then exited the store without making any attempt to pay for the items. The stolen items
were an Ed Hardy blow dryer and hair straightener valued at approximately $200. The store’s security cameras recorded the suspect, who was accompanied by two other black females and a black female child. According to the report, they appeared to be working together.
MARCH 5 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatchee substation was dispatched to a home on 123rd Trail North last Friday evening regarding a stolen boat. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 9 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., someone stole the victim’s white 2006 Mako Marine, with two black Mercury Verado motors on it, along with the silver 2006 Continental trailer it was on. The victim said he had no idea who took his boat and hadn’t given anyone permission to take it. According to the report, the victim said he had noticed strange trucks driving down his street over the past few weeks. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.
MARCH 7 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded to Tiger Shark Cove Park last Sunday afternoon regarding a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., someone shattered the rear passenger window of the victim’s Jeep and removed a purse from the rear floorboard. The stolen items were valued at approximately $290. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.
MARCH 7 A Loxahatchee man was arrested for drunken driving early last Sunday morning following a traffic stop near the intersection of Southern Blvd. and 103rd Avenue South. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation initiated a traffic stop on a 2004 Chevy Silverado driven by 22-year-old Joseph Schunatz. When the deputy made contact with Schunatz, he could smell alcohol on him and observed that Schunatz was impaired. After a roadside sobriety test, Schunatz was arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail where breath tests revealed he had a .180 bloodalcohol level. He was charged with driving under the influence. MARCH 7 — A Wellington man was arrested on multiple charges last Sunday afternoon following a traffic stop near the intersection of Southern Blvd. and Lamstein Lane. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation pulled over 26-year-old Carlos Deane Jr. for a seat belt infraction and improper lane change. The deputy noticed Deane behaving nervously and asked whether he had any weapons or illegal items in the car, and Deane responded “no.” According to the report, the deputy then asked Deane if he could search the vehicle, which Deane denied, so the deputy called for a K-9 unit. The K-9 deputy requested Deane be removed from the car, and while he was exiting the car, the deputy observed a small bulge in Deane’s right front pocket. According to the report, the deputy patted down Deane and could feel a small, unknown gun in his pocket. He handcuffed Deane and retrieved a .38 caliber Derringer pistol. A search of the
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report
The Village of Wellington’s new municipal complex is taking a definitive shape after raising two walls on the south and east sides of the eastern wing Monday, March 8.
“We’re right on schedule,” municipal complex project manager Rick Greene said. “It’s going very well.”
The village broke ground on the site late last year and hopes to move into the building as early as December. The 54,000-squarefoot, $10.5-million building will be the new home of the village’s council chambers and administrative offices, and serve as the centerpiece for the new Town Center. The complex will include a clock tower, employee courtyard, council chambers that seat 166 people and a “quick stop” where residents can pick up permit applications or pay utility bills. By consolidating various village offices into one place, Wellington
officials expect to save $500,000 a year. “What you see right now are 10 panels on a casting bed,” Greene said. “They’re two stories high. They were lifted by a crane Monday afternoon and guided into place by workers. It’s almost like a puzzle. The wall fits right into place in the casting bed.”
The walls are held in place by steel poles, which serve as reinforcement, and workers weld small three-quarter-inch gaps between the wall and the existing foundation to secure them in place, Greene said. After the walls are secured, they are reinforced with additional steel poles and workers weld each panel together. The 10 panels are the first of many that will be lifted during the next week or two.
“There’s going to be a lot of activity out there soon,” Greene said. “Next Monday, the second pour will be ready to be lifted. The crane will continue along the south side of the building and put up another 10 walls.”
The concrete walls must be poured and left to settle and dry so they can be lifted into place, he said. Although the drying process can take a while, putting the walls into place is a quick process.
“I timed one of the tilt walls from when it was attached to the crane to when they had it up and in place, and it took them under 10 minutes,” Greene said. “It’s really a sight to see. They started around 1:30 p.m. and had them all up before 4:30 p.m.”
Once all the walls are up, workers will add a roof deck and then begin framing.
“Soon you’ll start to see them putting up the interior walls,” he said. “The first floor is expected to take approximately one month, and then they’ll move to the second floor by summertime.”
Behind a tarp-covered, chainlink fence, the parking lot for the complex also is well underway.
“The parking lot is going to be an ongoing process,” he said. “They’ve already started preparing it for the asphalt.”
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council has scheduled a workshop for Tuesday, March 16 to discuss commercial developments planned on Southern Blvd.
The council set the workshop at its March 2 meeting at the request of the developers Loxahatchee Equestrian Partners LLC, Solar Sportsystems Inc. and Loxahatchee Commons, which are represented by O’Dell Land Development Consultants. The properties total 90 acres between B and C roads south of Tangerine Drive and north of Southern Blvd.
The projects have been under review for more than a year by the town’s consultant Land Re-
search Management Inc., said Town Manager Frank Spence. The project has a future land-use map amendment application that was filed in 2009. The projects have placed money in escrow to pay for the town consultant’s work, according to the town’s staff report.
The council, which is currently operating under a development moratorium, has encouraged the developers to do as much advance work as possible in anticipation of the town’s comprehensive plan and land development regulations being adopted soon. The applicants have requested the opportunity to present their revised plans directly to the council as soon as possible.
Plans submitted to the town are for low-intensity commercial retail and institutional uses, probably assisted-care and day-care facilities, said Mike O’Dell of O’Dell Land Development Consultants.
Councilman Ryan Liang said it was odd that developers would ask for a workshop. “It’s kind of like me asking for a workshop on what to do with my land,” Liang said.
Spence said the developers’ revised plans are requesting less density.
“They have met with me and shown me what they are presenting, and it’s greatly reduced,” Spence said, adding that much of the work has been done at the county level, which has given traf-
fic approval, as well as with the town’s consultant.
“There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes that need to be brought forward to you at this point,” Spence said.
Councilman Dr. Bill Louda said he thought it was good that three developers would be interested in working together on their projects.
O’Dell said the developers have been doing as much work as possible so they can begin the projects soon after the comprehensive plan and land development regulations are in place and the moratorium is lifted.
“We are all waiting for the comprehensive land-use plan to be approved, and we anticipate that is going to happen, but in doing
so, we have come up with a couple of issues affecting the alignment of the roadways connecting the properties,” O’Dell explained.
“We’ve had some discussions with the Department of Transportation regarding the access points off Southern Blvd. We have proposed some solutions to those problems. We have also described how our two projects would meet up on B Road. We have no real plan to show you, per se, but we are giving you some concepts.”
O’Dell said his primary concern is that the project requires a master plan amendment and zoning changes involving elements that affect the town, such as traffic.
In other business, the council approved a resolution giving final
The Palms West Chamber of Commerce hosted its monthly networking mixer at Royal Palm Nissan on Wednesday, March 3 to kick off the inaugural Royal Palm Art & Music Festival. The event will take place March 20-21. Exhibitor booths are still available. For more info., call (561) 790-6200 or visit www.royalpalmbeachfestival.com.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Chamber CEO Jaene Miranda, Royal Palm Nissan General Manager Scott Popkin and the chamber’s Catherine Engle. Festival March 20-21
continued from page 1 icantly more people than quality local or regional entertainment.
“We get the same audience that we do for the locals,” Miranda said. “Unless you spend $250,000, you’re not going to get a name that draws thousands upon thousands of people, and your cost to do the festival becomes much higher.” Instead, the chamber’s goal was to put together a weekend of inexpensive family entertainment.
The entry fee will be $10 for adults and free for children, Miranda said. There will be charges for the rides and food, but most of the attractions will be free with admission.
“They’ll be able to watch the laser light show for free, they’ll be able to view all the street art for free, they’ll be able to watch all the bands on stage for free. There’s going to be free face painting for the kids,” Miranda said. Similar to the popular Lake Worth Street Painting Festival, one key portion of the two-day event will be artists creating chalk
masterpieces on Royal Palm Beach Blvd.
There also will be street entertainment such as stilt walkers, clowns and jugglers. A “scribbles” area will be set up to provide children the opportunity to create their own street art in the Riverside Bank parking lot.
The “King of Wings” chicken wing cook-off will be on Saturday, featuring local cooks. The winner of the cook-off will be featured on the Tree’s Wings & Ribs menu for a month.
Dianne Morin’s Home Cooking for Kids Company will present an
edible art program for all ages on Saturday and Sunday. Kids may enter the Pirates & Princesses contest scheduled for Sunday morning. All contestants will win a prize.
The festival will be dog friendly and will feature a Totally Talented Tailwaggers contest on Sunday, similar to David Letterman’s Stupid Pet Tricks. Pets will be judged and prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place. Kayak races will be held Sunday on Lake Challenger. Heat competitions will lead up to the final race of the day. And as with most chambersponsored events, there will be a business expo featuring booths from local businesses, entrepreneurs and community groups. Parking will be at various sites, including the Royal Inn, Royal Plaza, the northwest quadrant of the Southern Palm Crossing shopping plaza, and underneath the FPL power lines, where a shuttle service will be available to and from the festival. The eastbound left-turn and westbound right-turn lanes from
The Mall at Wellington Green is hosting an Easter Bunny Arrival Party for its MallStars Kids Club members and their friends on Saturday, March 13 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. in the Spring Garden located in Grand Court.
“Spring is here, and so is the Easter Bunny,” said Rachelle Crain, marketing and sponsorship director for the mall. “The Mall at Wellington Green is excited to host the Easter Bunny Arrival Party, and we look forward to celebrating with the kids of our community.”
Kids attending this free event will be able to meet and greet the Easter Bunny, along with interacting in an educational program about rabbits, chicks and ducklings.
Gary Midnight, a well-known local magician, will dazzle the crowd with a 60-minute performance featuring illusions, audience participation and the highly anticipated finale where he pulls a live rabbit out of a hat.
MallStars members can also register for a chance to win a variety of festive Easter baskets filled with merchandise donated from the stores and restaurants in the Mall at Wellington Green.
In addition, each child will be given his or her own Easter basket to participate in an “egg-citing hunt” starting at 10 a.m. The hunt will take kids and their parents on an adventure through the mall, as they search and collect
special gifts for their Easter bas-
kets from some of their favorite stores.
MallStars is a free kids club offered by the Mall at Wellington Green. Children ages two to 10 years old are able to sign up online or at the mall’s guest services booth. Members receive a personal membership card, an online newsletter with what’s happening in the mall, and participating store discounts. Members and their families also enjoy bi-monthly events such as the Easter Bunny Arrival Party.
This is a free event offered by the Mall at Wellington Green and is open to the general public. For more information, call the mall management office at (561) 2276901.
Pastors Lunch
Prison Fellowship will host a Palm Beach County Pastors Luncheon on Thursday, March 18 at Acts II Church (13000 Okeechobee Blvd., Loxahatchee Groves).
The luncheon will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Prison Fellowship, a Christian prison ministry, will present its mentoring and bridge church programs. There is no cost or obligation.
Interested pastors should call (561) 793-9119 to confirm attendance or request additional information.
Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington invites all children ages two to seven in the community to participate in its Passover experiential celebration on Sunday, March 21 from 1 to 2 p.m. It will be conducted by early childhood musical educator Emily Aronoff. The temple invites preschoolers along with kindergarteners and first and second graders to have a more “physical” Passover experience. There will be dancing, running from the plagues and crossing the Great Sea as it splits for the Jewish children, along with plenty of celebrating with song.
Aronoff will stay to join the youngest generation for a special Seder service with a special Seder plate made of strawberries and other fruits and vegetables, designed especially for this age group. Aronoff will also lead in song with a very unique rendition of the popular Passover song “Chad Gadya.”
Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington is a dynamic, diverse religious community committed to traditional Judaism as interpreted by the Conservative Movement.
The cost is $5 for children three and up and free for children under three. Reservations are required. For more information, or to make reservations, call the temple office at (561) 793-4347 or email info@templebnaijacob.com.
The temple is located in the original Wellington Mall on the
at 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 6.
The Wellington Women’s Club has announced that applications are now available for the 2010 College Scholarship Program for area high school seniors. Each year, the club awards four to six college scholarships valued at $500 to $1,500. Applicants must live in the western communities and must be graduating high school in June. Along with transcripts and community service hours, an essay must be submitted titled “What My Education Means to Me, and How I Will Use It to Benefit Society.” Applications are available at high school guidance offices. Students may also request applications by writing to the Wellington Women’s Club Scholarship Program, P.O. Box 823, Loxahatchee, FL 33470. For more information, call Scholarship Chair Debbie Hession at (561) 798-3900. The Wellington Women’s Club is celebrating 32 years in Wellington. The charitable organization meets on the first Thursday of each month for dinner and presentations by a guest speaker. Also during the month, members enjoy many activities for fun and entertainment. Guests can attend meetings for a fee of $30. RSVP to Mary Armand at (561) 635-0011 or mair@armandpest.com.
Palm Beach Central High School hosted the Broncos’ Arts and Literacy Stampede on Thursday, Feb. 25 at the Wellington Barnes & Noble store. Hosted by Lisa Boykin, the event featured art exhibits from Palm Beach Central’s finest. The PBCHS Student Government Association greeted everyone at the welcome table. Performers included the Bronco Step Team, the Bronco Players, the Society of Future Authors, the Tradition vocal ensemble, the Bronco Pop & Lockers, and the Bronco band. Proceeds from the evening went to benefit the school’s media center.
Wellington Christian School hosted a sidewalk painting event on Friday, March 5 on the school campus. Many young artists turned out to show their talents, painting the walkways on the school campus. The school is located at 1000 Wellington Trace. For more info., visit www.wellingtonchristian.com.
PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Robert Felipe creates a masterpiece.
Ten-goaler Mariano Aguerre scored four goals to lead the Hawks to a 16-7 victory over Piaget in the opening round of the Piaget Gold Cup at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington.
The Hawks’ Julian Mannix scored three goals and was named Most Valuable Player. Aguerre’s eight-year-old Chestnut Argentine gelding received Best Playing Pony honors.
Piaget was returning to 26-goal competition for the first time in more than 25 years. “They’re a very well-polished team,” said Piaget nine-goaler Nic Roldan, “and we just couldn’t get anything to click for us today.”
In another first-round game,
Las Monjitas defeated Bendabout/ Wanderers 12-10 behind five goals by Javier Novillo Astrada. The tournament continues this weekend with three games Saturday, March 13 and three games Sunday, March 14. Sunday tickets for the Nespresso Grande Pavilion range from $50 to $100. General admission tickets are available for $15, lawn seating for $35 and box seats for $120. Sunday’s featured match begins at 3 p.m. on the Piaget Field. Parking is $5. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.internationalpoloclub. com or call the box office at (561) 282-5334. For field assignments, call the polo hot line at (561) 2825290.
The
Crew and Palm Beach Riding Academy tailgating at polo.
Team Canada, featuring riders
Yann Candele, Beth Underhill, Eric Lamaze and Mac Cone, won the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup on Friday, March 5 at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Mexico finished second and Ireland was third in the 11-team competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. Candele and Pitareusa, Underhill with Top Gun and Lamaze aboard Ronaldo all had clear rounds during the first round. Cone riding Ole had four faults and were the drop score in the round. Candele and Pitareusa repeated their fault-free performance in the second round, while Underhill
and Top Gun added just four faults. Lamaze and Ronaldo wrapped up the victory when they completed the course with one time fault. The Canadian team finished on a score of just five faults total.
The Mexican team got solid performances from Antonio Chedraui aboard Don Porfirio (5, 0 faults), Nicolas Pizarro and Crossing Jordan (4, 0) and Jaime Azcarraga on Celcius (0, 4). The Mexican team finished with a 13-fault total score.
Chef d’Equipe Norman Dello Joio said this was a good opportunity for the Mexican team.
“Mexico doesn’t get the opportunity as much as riders in the U.S., Canada and Europe to com-
pete in Nations Cups, so it was meaningful,” he said. “We didn’t want to jump all of our horses that we think are contenders for the World Equestrian Games because we’re trying to save them and maintain them. But we also wanted to make a little bit of a statement that we’re here and we’re serious, and we’re planning on trying our hardest.”
Ireland’s team included Richard Moloney aboard Brooke van de Zuuthoeve, Kevin Babington on Souvenir and Darragh Kenny on Obeliex. The Irish finished with 29 faults for third place. The United States team finished in fourth place with 31. Kent Farrington and United posted a clear round in the first
round, and Ashlee Bond and Apache had one time fault in the first round.
Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, aboard Pavarotti, won the $30,000 USEF WEG Trial #4 with the fastest time in the Time First Round format with no faults. Shahinian-Simpson finished second on Kilkenny Rindo. Richard Spooner finished third on Cristallo. Minikus and Pavarotti finished in 80.89 seconds. Shahinian-Simpson and Kilkenny Rindo were clear in 81.20 seconds, and Spooner and Cristallo came home clear in 81.27 seconds. For full results and more information, visit www.shownet.biz or www.equestriansport.com.
The Royal Palm Beach High School speech and debate team competed in the National Forensic League Panther District Finals that took place at Trinity Preparatory School in Orlando. This tournament qualifies the top two in each event to the NFL National Competition in Kansas City, Mo. in June.
The tournament features the top competitors from Palm Beach, Martin, Brevard and Orange counties. Royal Palm Beach High School qualified for nationals in the Duo Interpretation category. The team won first place and became the top placing team in the entire county. They also obtained the third-place sweepstakes award behind two Orange County private schools.
“This is only the third time Royal Palm Beach High School has qualified for nationals in the 11 years of the program’s existence, including once in 2003 and again 2008,” Royal Palm Beach
High School Speech and Debate Director Dario Camara said. “Royal Palm Beach High School was the top placing public school. This achievement proves the strength of the Royal Palm Beach High School team and all of their achievements this year. The team set another milestone this weekend reaching past its goals. We are the No. 1 team in the county and third in the district.”
The noted finalists for Royal Palm Beach High School are: Keion Jones and Marco Lopez (national qualifiers), Duo Interpretation, first place; Julie Marcelus and Natasha Jean-Pierre (national alternates), Duo Interpretation, third place; Bryan Piverotto and Jordan Roe (national alternates), Duo Interpretation, fourth place; Yvonne Goode (national alternate), Dramatic Interpretation, third place; and Natasha JeanPierre (national alternate), Original Oratory, third place.
For more information about the Royal Palm Beach High School speech and debate team, call Camara at (561) 753-4021 or e-mail him at dario.camara@palmbeach. k12.fl.us.
The Seminole Ridge High School Army Junior ROTC Hawk Battalion placed first among five area high schools in the Unarmed Squad Regulation (Mixed) Drill category at a drill meet on Saturday, Feb. 27. The Unarmed Squad Regulation (Mixed) Drill category is a precision, 43-command marching event. The marching area is 100 by 100 feet, and seven to 11 cadets, including a commander, drill in squad formation. Judges award points to each unit, focusing not only on the appearance, bearing and overall impression of the squad, but also on command voice, bearing, proper positioning and overall presence of its commander.
Congrats are in order for the Hawk cadets who earned the first place trophy: Drill Commander Cadet First Sergeant Jonathan Fernandez; cadet privates Sean Galavan, Eric Phan and Shyanne Rocky; cadet corporals Vincent Sileo and Jordan Thomas; Cadet Sergeants Michael Beegle and Deysy Fuentes; Cadet Sergeant First Class Tyler Freeze; and Cadet Second Lieutenant Jeremy Aponte.
• Ridge Artists on Exhibit in
Boca — Six Hawk students have artwork on exhibit now through April 17 as part of the annual Women in the Visual Arts’ “Spring Celebration of High School Art” at Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton. The SRHS students and their artwork are as follows: Katie Aucoin, Flashback, watercolor on paper; Brianne Codner, Self Portrait, mixed media; Alexandra Davis, Grail, relief print; Alexandra Davis, Contemplation, multiple generation of charcoal pencil; Bobby Hamilton, Youth, pencil; and Jessi Persaud, Dimension of the Unspoken World, watercolor and acrylic.
• Symphonic Band Ranked ‘Superior’ — The two SRHS concert bands, under the direction of Tim Skinner, performed Feb. 27 for their Florida Bandmasters’ Association assessment, and one of those bands deserves a special recognition.
Playing its best ever for the judges and its audience of many parent and student supporters, the SRHS symphonic band received a “Superior” rating for its stage performance and an “Excellent” for sight-reading, resulting in a “Superior” rating overall. This is the first district FBA overall “Su-
perior” the symphonic band has received.
The SRHS wind ensemble also delivered a great stage performance, then headed to its sightreading assessment. The ensemble, like its fellow band, also received a “Superior” for its stage concert and an “Excellent” for sight-reading, resulting in a district FBA “Superior” overall, its third in five years.
Skinner and the Hawk musicians thank Wellington High School for being well-prepared and gracious hosts to the district music performance assessment.
• Blood Drive March 23 — Join the big red bus and the little mousetrap cars as National Honor Society and SECME students host Florida’s Blood Centers for an on-campus blood drive on Tuesday, March 23 at 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The drive’s theme draws attention to the urgency for donors: every two seconds, someone in America needs blood.
And for every pint of blood donated, SECME will launch a “mousetrap vehicle,” a racer built by students and powered solely by the energy release of a mousetrap spring. In the county’s annual engineering Olympiad, students
compete to see whose mousetrap vehicle goes the farthest.
The process for whole blood donation usually takes about one hour; the blood collection itself is usually about 10 minutes. All donations are processed and available for use within 48 hours, but blood can be stored for only 42 days, and blood platelets expire after five days. So the blood bank has a constant demand for donors.
For additional information about donating blood, contact NHS sponsor Shawna Ahmad at ahmadsh@palmbeach.k12.fl.us.
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The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research, has issued a lofty challenge to everyone who wants to help raise money for childhood cancer research: Be a hero for kids with cancer by shaving your head in return for pledges of financial support from friends and family.
Palm Beach Central High School will host its second annual St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser on Thursday, March 25. The headshavings will commence at 9:30 a.m.
Last year nearly 1,500 students gathered in the PBCHS gym to watch the No. 1 fundraising school in the nation pull in more than $51,000. More than 150 student heroes volunteered their time and locks to help others. This year, PBCHS hopes to far surpass those numbers. The goal is to have more than 200 students participate, and PBCHS hopes to once again be the top high school team in the nation.
PBCHS is reaching out to the community to support these brave young men and women in their
efforts to help others. The school is looking for corporate sponsors to help in the fundraising efforts by sponsoring an event or activity to occur during the shaving celebration or by donating items or services PBCHS can use in a silent auction. The school is also looking for individuals to help by donating online at www.stbaldricks.org or by donating goods or services for the silent auction.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation makes grants to research institutions to find new cures for childhood cancer, and to find treatments to ensure a better quality of life for patients and survivors. The foundation funds research projects conducted by established pediatric cancer experts, as well as younger professionals who will be the experts of tomorrow. Funds also enable hundreds of local institutions to participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials, offering the best available care for every child. For additional information, call (888) 899-BALD or visit www. stbaldricks.org.
Send school news items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.
Osceola Creek Middle School has announced the recipients of its Scholar-Athlete Award for February. The award is sponsored by the school police and honors varsity athletes who also excel in academics, effort, behavior and school spirit, and serve as role models for others. February’s honorees are all eighth-graders who carry high grade-point averages and play varsity sports.
Boys basketball honored 14-year-old Robbie Snyder. “Robbie is an outstanding student-athlete who excels on both the basketball and track teams,” Coach Kai Lee said. “Robbie is an honor-roll student in the classroom and a terrific basketball player who constantly is hustling and giving 100-percent effort each and every practice. This is Robbie’s first year playing basketball, but he quickly worked his way into the starting lineup due to his rebounding and defense prowess.” Robbie, who carries a 3.17 grade point average, wants to attend the University of Miami as a meteorology major, followed by a career in the meteorology field.
Fourteen-year-old Jessi Festa was honored by girls basketball coach Tom Rulison. “Jessi is a multi-sport athlete and a member of the honor roll,” Rulison said. “She is very skilled in both volleyball and basketball, and as an eighth-grader was one of the team leaders and captain. Jessi is like another coach on the basketball court as she has been a tremendous influence on her teammates, who are very young and inexperienced. Unfortunately, she injured her knee and will be out for the remainder of the season. Her skills and leadership will be sorely missed on the court, but she looks forward to helping out and cheering on her teammates for the rest of the season.”
Jessi, who was also a member of Osceola Creek’s volleyball team, wants to attend Colorado State University, partly because of her fondness of skiing. She plans to major in nursing, followed by a career as an ER nurse. Jessi is carrying a 3.42 GPA. The third student of the month for February is Olivia Meingasner. “Olivia is an extraordinary student athlete at Osceola Creek Middle School,” girls soccer coach Tony Bugeja said. “She has been a leader on the team since she was in the sixth grade. This year she is the team captain and is leading the team of young talented athletes to a very promising future. Olivia is a captain that is able to communicate
with each player on an individual level. Her accomplishments in the classroom are outstanding, holding a perfect ‘A’ in every class. We look forward to seeing her excel in high school.”
Olivia, 13, is ranked No. 1 in her class, with a 5.50 GPA. She wants to attend the University of Florida’s School of Medicine and eventually become a neonatal physician.
Supporting the Scholar-Athlete Award program are Subway and Burger King (located at Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Orange Blvd.) and Dairy Queen (at Royal Palm Beach and Okeechobee boulevards), which donated free food coupons.
make a toothbrush
Wellington pediatric dentist Dr. Tomer Haik visited kindergarten students at Golden Grove Elementary School in The Acreage on Feb. 17 in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month. Haik offered a fun and educational lesson on the importance of teeth and healthy smiles. He gave an animated performance using magic, humor and student participation. Haik’s discussion covered proper oral hygiene, including brushing and flossing daily, eating healthy and visiting
the dentist regularly to make sure your teeth are healthy and strong. The students sang songs about healthy smiles and used their “magical talents” by making toothbrushes appear from thin air. They thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and have been talking about it since. Haik’s office is located at 3319 State Road 7, Suite 213. For more information, call (561) 333-8507 or visit www.youngsmiles.com.
The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts hosted its celebrated annual Palm Beach Wine Auction on Feb. 16 at the Breakers in Palm Beach.
More than 140 friends and supporters attended this popular, soldout event that generated more than $365,000 for the Kravis Center’s award-winning education programs. “This year’s wine auction was truly spectacular,” said Palm Beach Wine Auction founder and chair Ted Mandes, who is also a member of the Kravis Center’s Board of Directors.
They started with a reception in the Tapestry Bar at the Breakers, followed by an elegant five-course
dinner and wine auction in the Circle Room. “Everyone raved about the incomparable food and wine,” Mandes said. “The setting was lovely, and the wine auction was highly charged with a lot of excited bidders, which is just what wine connoisseurs expect a worldclass auction to be.” The auction of more than 30 impressive lots was once again under the direction of Michael Troise, the retired auction director for NY Wines/Christie’s Fine & Rare Wine Department and an expert with more than 40 years experience in tasting, buying and brokering wines from vintages dating as far back as the late 18th century.
According to Mandes, the mission of the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction is to “share the cultural wealth” by further advancing and broadening the scope of the educational experience of youth through targeted programs at the Kravis Center.
“It is not just a cause, but an ongoing obligation,” Mandes emphasized.
Event supporter David Hamilton agreed.
“The Palm Beach Wine Auction is an amazing opportunity for people to wine and dine in a sumptuous environment, purchase unbelievable wine values, and walk away with the satisfaction of knowing that they’ve done some-
thing to improve the lives of boys and girls throughout the Palm Beaches,” he said.
The Premier Grand Cru sponsor for the annual Palm Beach Wine Auction was PNC Wealth Management. The Premier Cru sponsors were Madeline and Roderic Fink, Chris Kritikos, and Laurie Silvers and Mitchell Rubenstein. Private Reserve sponsors included Jane Mitchell and Lewis Schott. Special Select sponsors were Barbara and Jerome Golden, Laurie Raber and Steven Gottleib, and Sydelle Meyer. Special support was provided by Tiffany & Co.
For more information, visit www.palmbeachwineauction.org.
Brigadier General Lewis “Chippy” E. Maness Sr. of Wellington and Georgetown, S.C. passed away on Friday, March 5. He was 90.
Born in Georgetown, S.C., Maness was the son of William and Mabel (Rouse) Maness. He graduated from Clemson University in 1941 with a civil engineering degree.
Affectionately known as Chippy, Maness was a star quarterback for the Tigers. He also
was on the first team to win the Cotton Bowl in 1940 alongside star quarterback Banks McFadden under legendary coach Frank Howard.
Upon graduation, Maness was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He married Mary Dartha Craig of Georgetown and reported for active duty. Maness served as platoon leader, company commander and battalion commander for the 47th infantry and 9th infantry division. He
participated in eight major campaigns with the 47th in the European theater and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Service Metal, the Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Bronze Star, French Croix de Guerre and the Purple Heart. Brigadier General Lewis E. Maness Sr. served the U.S. honorably for 32 years. The general’s memory will be cherished by his children Lewis E. Maness Jr., James F. (Melissa)
Maness and Ruth Ann Propper; grandchildren Michelle (Thomas) Mahoney, Timothy Maness and Matthew Maness; and greatgrandchildren Tommy, Maggie and Devon. A visitation will be held on Tuesday, March 16 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Palms West Funeral Home with a service beginning at 1 p.m.
Following services, Maness will be buried together with Mary, his loving wife of 53 years, in the
On
students. A total of 150 students participated in the tournament, and 250 observers enjoyed watching the competition. Polo Park Middle School’s Griff’s Goons beat the Wellington Landings Gator Boys, and Wellington High School’s Globo Gym Purple Cobras defeated the Body Head-Bangers. The Cobras went on to defeat an elite WHS faculty team led by Principal Mario Crocetti and assistant principals Chris Romano and Mike Kozlowski. The money raised from the event will be donated to Your Bosom Buddies II, a local support group for breast cancer patients.
Army National Guard Pvt. Chaz
Donath has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Knox, Ky.
During the nine-week training period, Donath received instruction in drill and ceremony, weapons, rifle marksmanship and bayonet training, field training and tactical exercises, armed and unarmed combat, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, traditions and core values. Donath is the son of Carl and
Susan Donath of Wellington, and a 2006 graduate of Palm Beach Central High School.
West Chester University in Pennsylvania has named Jennifer Salois of Royal Palm Beach to the dean’s list. The dean’s list recognizes students who complete 12 or more hours in an academic semester and achieve a semester grade point average over 3.67. Salois is the daughter of Thomas and Paulette Salois. She is
pursuing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education/middle school science. Salois is currently a student teacher in the Harrisburg School District. She is set to graduate in May. For more about West Chester University, visit www.wcupa.edu.
Marine Corps Pvt. Justin Ko recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, S.C. designed to challenge new Marine recruits physically and mentally.
Recruits began their training at 5 a.m. by running three miles and performing calisthenics. In addition, Ko spent numerous hours in classroom and field assignments, which included learning first aid, uniform regulations, combat water survival, marksmanship, handto-hand combat and assorted weapons training.
The training phase ended with the Crucible, a 54-hour, team evolution culminating in an emotional ceremony in which recruits are presented the Marine Corps Emblem, and addressed as Marines for the first time.
Ko is the son of Chae Choon and Chong Dae Ko.
Air Force Airman Colin C. Landry recently graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.
Landry completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.
Airmen who complete basic training earn four credits toward an associate’s degree in applied science through the Community College of the Air Force.
Landry is the son of Kevin Landry of Wellington and grandson of Dorthy Franks of Boca Raton. He is a 2009 graduate of Wellington High School. Colin Landry
ArtStart has announced that Christy Laureano has been named its “Most Valuable Teaching Partner” for 2009. Laureano works in the SAAC program as an aftercare counselor at Pine Jog Elementary School in West Palm Beach, and “has been a godsend,” said ArtStart founder and president Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi. “Christy is always willing to go the extra mile,
and always does so with a smile. It’s easy to see why the students love her so much.” Laureano was surprised by the announcement, and proudly showed her framed certificate to her class as they gathered around her for a photo. “This is wonderful,” she said, “and quite unexpected!” For more information, visit www.artstartinc.org.
continued from page 1
he looks forward to the outcome. The building will include a large central skylight in the main reading area that will allow natural light in but eliminate glare. “It will produce a nice, bright feeling to the reading area,” he said.
The 30,000-square-foot building layout will include a separate children’s area, in keeping with
continued from page 3 to continue to focus on bringing a meaningful job base to the western communities to help not only the economy, but lower the cost of infrastructure in the future.”
Councilman Fred Pinto said there should also be a better mix of businesses in the village.
“There are a couple of places in the village where I’ve seen three pizza parlors,” he said. “I think one of the things we need to do in our process is to get some straight feedback as to what’s been successful and what hasn’t, and perhaps some of the reasons why.” Webster said she liked the idea of meeting with business owners.
“We did have some creative things happen this year,” Webster said. “I think the green market was one
recent designs, a large central reading area similar to the Wellington branch and a separate teen room.
“As you enter the building, there will be a small meeting room area,” Callahan said. “It’s the first thing you get to when you come in the entrance, so that area could actually be used after hours if need be. Proceeding into the building, you’ll come to the popular materials area. To the right is the children’s area and to the left past the checkout desk is the main adult areas.”
of them. It just seemed to get lost in the shuffle… Maybe if they attempt it again with a group, we could try that again. We could get some ideas on signage that would be helpful.”
Council members agreed by consensus to have village staff set a date after March to meet with local business people. In other business, Swift asked to schedule another public meeting to discuss the low state rating and concerns over student safety at Royal Palm Beach High School.
“I’ve been seeing many people jumping on the high school bandwagon,” Swift said. “There’s a lot of interest. Candidates have talked about it. I’ve talked to parents there. I’ve talked to retirees who obviously don’t have children who think this is a big deal.”
Swift said the special task force he has organized with school officials is at the point that they will not talk about a boundary change, which has been advocated by po-
There also are small group study rooms and private individual study rooms and about 50 computers scattered through the library. The library will be equipped with a self check-in and check-out using radio frequency identification.
“By the time this branch opens, most of the other libraries will have it,” Callahan said. “It’s pretty much proven technology now.”
As of late February, the Acreage project had not been put out to bid, but the budget is set at approximately $14 million, with
litical candidates and some parents.
“They’re talking about us helping them in terms of marketing the school,” he said. “We’re working with them on that, but at the same time, in my opinion, this boundary issue is the issue that we need to talk about directly.”
Pinto noted that he has been appointed to a school boundary committee affiliated with the Palm Beach County League of Cities, and he intends to work with that committee to get a boundary change for RPBHS.
“I will be coming to that process with a very passionate view that these boundaries must change,” he said. “I recognize that it’s not something that’s going to happen overnight, but I want to make it clear that it is my intent in representing the citizens of Royal Palm Beach on that advisory panel. We must rethink the boundary structure that has been put in place for Royal Palm Beach High School.”
bids tending to come in under budget in the current economy. “Budgets are coming in nicely right now,” Callahan said. “It will probably come down some.”
The library will open with about 100,000 items including books, CDs and DVDs.
“The AV component of that will be about 12,500 CDs and DVDs,” he said. “Children, young adult and juvenile combined are about 30,000. The total adult items are about 54,000.”
Callahan said the seven-acre site near the Publix shopping center on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road has been a challenge to develop because of the
continued from page 3 process,” O’Connor said. “It is incumbent upon them under the law to test these materials looking for potential contaminants like arsenic, as an example.”
Arsenic is found in material such as pressure-treated lumber and fence poles for termite protection.
“There are other potential contaminants that would be looked at, but for the most part it’s crushed concrete with glass and some metals,” O’Connor said. “We do inspections of the plants probably three times a year, and then it’s incumbent upon them to supply us with results of their test data and open their books at our request.”
amount of natural area. The shopping center and the library site were platted together, so the library must comply with the original requirements.
“We’re kind of left with the leftovers on the site, so it has been challenging, but it’s working out,” he said.
As part of the plan, sidewalks will be built to connect the library with the shopping center.
“There will be pathways that go over to the shopping center where you can walk between the two,” Callahan said. “There will also be a walking path to the east side of the property, most of that will still be wooded area…
There will some area that could
Some Acreage residents have expressed concern that rain filtering through the material could pick up contaminants and carry them to the water table and into people’s wells.
O’Connor said the department is continuing to test wells for more than 200 contaminants in raw and finished water.
“The results of that are still pending,” he said. “I should have that later this month.”
The department also has taken about 150 soil samples and done radiation testing as part of the department’s pledge to continue testing, O’Connor added.
A cancer resource center in The Acreage operated by the Florida Department of Health will be open in a week to 10 days in the Publix shopping center on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, said Rob Siedlecki, chief of staff
be used for outdoor community events like an outdoor art show or craft shows.”
Residents can expect more landscaping on the site than other library sites because of the rural character, site-plan needs and the LEED requirements.
“There will be a lot of nice trees and other plantings and shrubberies that will provide a buffer between the development and particularly the residential areas to the north and east,” Callahan said. The final plans are still in development, but more information about the Acreage branch will be put up soon on the library web site at www.pbclibrary.org.
to the Florida Department of Health.
“In it we’re going to have information and resources on what we’re doing in The Acreage in regard to the cancer cluster,” Siedlecki told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “There will be brochures as to the type of testing, whether it’s water or soil or radiological. It will have information about future activities. It will have reports of testing that’s been done.”
The office will also take requests from the public to have issues or incidents looked into.
“It will be a great place that people can go to and get information in a one-on-one setting, not like in a big auditorium session,” Siedlecki said. “Any questions they have we can answer them on the spot or we can get the answers to them.”
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher said her office is on track to save about $1 million this year.
Bucher, speaking at a Palms West Chamber of Commerce luncheon held Monday, March 8 at Rooney’s All-In Sports Bar & Grill in West Palm Beach, said the savings came about because the office had returned a check of more than $850,000 in unexpended budget amounts for 2009.
Bucher, a Democrat who was elected supervisor of elections in November 2008 after serving eight years as a member of the Florida House of Representatives, said her experience in the legisla-
continued from page 1 mail pieces came out, it bothered me, but it probably bothered you more,” Bowen said to his supporters, noting that he was glad he decided to “take the high road” and let his record speak for itself.
“But anyway, I can’t thank you all enough,” he continued. “I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I promise you that I am going to represent you all well. Let’s move forward.”
Councilman Matt Willhite, who has disagreed with Bowen on a number of issues, said he stopped by because he thought the mayor was doing a good job for the most part and wants to work with him for the good of Wellington residents.
“You have to work with whoever gets elected,” Willhite said. “We work well together. We disagree sometimes, but we do a lot for the residents.”
Vice Mayor Dr. Carmine Priore expressed his viewpoint that Wellington has headed in the right direction under Bowen’s leadership.
“This council has moved the community forward,” he said. “We need to keep going in the right direction.”
Councilman Howard Coates agreed. “Darell ran an honorable race,” he said. “His winning is a referendum that the people are happy with the council and the direction of the village.”
SEAT 2 RACE Gerwig and about 30 friends, campaign supporters and family members huddled at the Gypsy’s Horse restaurant awaiting results. When the final total was announced at 10:01 p.m., the group, many clad in blue and white tshirts, were disappointed but optimistic.
“We’re just going to have to get
ture had prepared her for her current job, especially in reaching agreements with municipalities.
“We are working on establishing agreements with the special districts in that same avenue,” she said.
Speaking one day before municipal elections were to be held, Bucher stressed how important it was for residents to vote.
After Bucher spoke, a number of candidates taking part in the Royal Palm Beach and Wellington municipal elections addressed chamber members.
Larry Casey, executive director of the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross, also spoke at the luncheon about the recent disasters in Haiti,
out there and do it for two more weeks,” Gerwig said after learning there would be a runoff election. “I would rather have won it outright, but it could have been worse. At least I’m the outright leader.”
Although she would have preferred a first-round win, the runoff didn’t come as a surprise to Gerwig.
“When I first contemplated running, I knew there would be a very high likelihood of a runoff because it was an open seat,” she said. “With three candidates in the race, I knew it would be likely.”
In the next two weeks, Gerwig plans to continue her work to get voters back out to vote for her in the runoff.
“I am going to make sure I get my vote out,” she said. “I’m going to be networking, making phone calls and checking with friends to try to get residents to the polls.”
Gerwig said she hopes people recognize the skills she would bring to the council. “I think they should vote for me because of my ability to work with people and my leadership skills,” she said.
Meanwhile, Zimmerman gathered with his campaign supporters, family and friends at Nicole’s Pasta & Grill to enjoy a meal after a long day of campaigning. They periodically gathered around a laptop computer to check election results, and when the numbers came in, Zimmerman was optimistic.
“I’m happy with the results,” Zimmerman said. “I had expected a runoff, and we got a runoff.”
While he anticipates hard work over the next two weeks, Zimmerman said he is well prepared to continue the campaign. “I’m a fighter,” he said. “I’m ready. I’ll be out there at eight o’clock every morning, and I’ll keep on working, even harder than I was before.”
Zimmerman said his largely
false alarm repeaters. “Those people who have false alarms will have to pay for them,” he said.
continued from page 1 schools that are As and Bs and our high school is a D doesn’t make sense,” he said. “Another high priority for me is the Madrid Street thing. We had a flawed decision without having a traffic study. I’d like to see a traffic study done so that the council can make an informed decision on that issue.”
Regarding the alarm ordinance, Valuntas wants one that would make it mandatory to respond to all alarm calls but impose fees on
Valuntas added that he is concerned about the budget and realizes that the council might face some tough decisions. “I’d have to look at numbers for myself,” he said. “If tough decisions have to be made, I’ll do my best to get all the information and help make the choice that I think is best for the community.”
Valuntas said he is against staff cuts and against a millage increase. “I’d like to find a creative way to keep the levels of service that our residents need and deserve and at least try to keep the millage rate steady and not going up,” he said.
Chile and Turkey, asking business leaders and chamber members to support the American Red Cross.
“Your American Red Cross is there for you,” he said.
The luncheon’s sponsor was Royal Palm Nissan. Palms West Chamber CEO Jaene Miranda spoke highly of the car dealership, not only as the luncheon sponsor, but as a major supporter of the upcoming Royal Palm Art & Music Festival.
“They are also the presenting sponsor for this inaugural event, which will be taking place on March 20 and March 21,” Miranda said.
For more about the Palms West Chamber, call (561) 790-6200 or visit www.palmswest.com.
Bowen (center) celebrates his
with Vice Mayor Dr. Carmine Priore and Councilman Howard
grassroots campaign has involved getting out into the community and going door-to-door, something he plans to do a lot more of in order to get voters back to the polls on March 23.
“History shows that if we get
half the amount of voters to come back out, we’re lucky,” he said. “I’m going to be doing everything I did the first time and much more to encourage people to come out and vote.”
Zimmerman hopes voters will
recognize his commitment to the village and extensive knowledge about its operations.
“Nobody knows Wellington from the inside and the outside like I do,” he said. “I’m doing this for the benefit of the village.”
continued from page 6 vehicle found a wooden club with a hidden metal shank in the center console, and a marijuana cigar in the driver door’s panel. Deane was arrested and taken to the county jail where he was charged with carrying a concealed firearm, carrying a concealed weapon and possession of marijuana.
MARCH 8 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington responded to a home in Bedford Mews on Monday morning regarding a vehicle theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between midnight and 6:50 a.m., someone stole the victim’s 1988 Mercedes-Benz 560SL from his driveway and drove it into a telephone pole at the intersection of State Road 7 and Southern Blvd. A deputy recovered DNA evidence from the vehicle and reported that there was no sign of forced
entry to the vehicle or to the steering column. There were no witnesses or suspects at the time of the report.
MARCH 8 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach was dispatched Monday afternoon to a home in the Madison Green neighborhood in response to a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim’s daughter arrived home at approximately 1 p.m. to find that the rear door to her mother’s bedroom was open and called the victim, who instructed her to close the door. When the victim came home, she discovered her safe missing from her bedroom closet. The safe contained several
Every Sunday | March 7th-April 18th
Gourmet Brunch Hosted by Bistrot Bagatelle of NYC
Field Side Nespresso Grande Pavilion at the International Polo Club Palm Beach Wellington, Florida
Brunch Hours: 2pm – 5pm Featured Match Begins at 3pm
Enjoy the Featured Match, and take in all the breathtaking high goal polo action, from this field side oasis, which will also feature special fashion shows, musical entertainment, complimentary champagne and a gourmet brunch.
Gourmet Brunch - $100 Select Cocktails and Hors d’ouevres - $50
Purchase Tickets: internationalpoloclub.com
Purchase Tickets: Day of in front of Pavilion (limited availability) For Further information: polorsvp@internationalpoloclub.com Club Line: 561.204.5687
Two decades ago, Steve Luongo discovered Natural Horsemanship. He was working at a ranch and saw some “training” he instinctively knew was inappropriate. Pat Parelli, one of the early disseminators of Natural Horsemanship, came to Florida. Luongo went to check out the demonstration and came away a changed man. Page 27
Wellington hosted an opening-day ceremony for the inaugural season of the village’s new recreational baseball program March 6 at the Olympia Park ball fields. More than 600 players ages four to 14 are participating in the program. Page 43
Customers And Community Are Key
For John C. Hunton Air Conditioning
John C. Hunton Air Conditioning & Refrigeration is a family owned and operated business serving the western communities since 1996. Based in The Acreage, the business is owned by John Hunton, whose wife Martha is the office manager and son Kyle is a service technician. Page 35
The Seminole Ridge High School girls softball team is counting on promising, young talent and new coach Patrick Moons as it works toward the district tourney this year. “I have the luxury that I’ve inherited a really young group — a lot of ninth and 10th graders,” Moons said. “We’re going to get them as many atbats and as much repetition as possible.” Page 41
Steve Luongo is one of those guys who marches to a different beat. Originally from Boston, he moved to Broward County’s Hollywood in 1960 when he was young. Horses always fascinated him, and he spent his afternoons and summers working on area ranches and riding with his buddies.
“I always liked being around horses,” Luongo recalled. “There was just something about them that appealed to me.”
That included the difficult ones. He recalled Rusty, a nasty old brown and white Paint that he would ride until he got bucked off, which happened fairly frequently. Then he’d get on and attempt to ride again.
About 20 years ago, Luongo discovered Natural Horsemanship. He was working at a ranch and saw some “training” going on, which he instinctively knew was inappropriate. Then the light dawned. Pat Parelli, one of the early disseminators of Natural Horsemanship, came to South Florida and put on a demonstration. Luongo went to check it out. He came away a changed man.
“Watching Pat, I knew what I needed to do in order to be successful with horses,” Luongo said. “Pat showed that there’s a definite way to observe and watch a horse and facilitate the communication between human and horse. The brutality I saw in a lot of other training methods really bothered me. I knew this was the right way.”
Luongo started doing research and gathering as much information as he could, reading books and watching videos and programs on RFD-TV: Dennis Reis, Clinton Anderson,
By Ellen Rosenberg
Ray Hunt, Tom Dorrance and Parelli. Now, Luongo offers to help people who have what they consider “problem” horses, showing them better ways to correct problems and communicate with their horses. No matter the problem, Luongo said he has never failed.
“I hate seeing people wrestling with horses, forcing them with twitches or whips,” he said. “Horses always remember the trauma of a bad experience. The trick is to prepare a horse properly for anything you’re going to ask him to do, whether it’s getting a shot or getting in a trailer. I think all vets should be required to take a course in Natural Horsemanship.”
Luongo pointed out that horses are social creatures and naturally want to live with a herd. They see emotion as weakness. They look for leaders, not dictators, and don’t react well to punishment. They react well to the release of pressure, which can mean allowing a rope to go slack or simply looking away from the horse. A lot of it is body language.
“Brutality begins where knowledge ends,” he explained. “A scared horse is interested in only one thing: self-preservation. The only
way to really succeed with horses is to think like horses and see the world from their perspective. Horse sense is just common sense with horses, but most people use human sense, which is nonsense to horses.”
Luongo also became interested in natural hoof care back in 1991. He had seen too many
problems that often resulted from accepted, but ineffective, trimming and shoeing. “I knew there had to be a better way,” he said.
After searching, Luongo found a course of study involving clinics offered by Jaime Jackson, who had been a “regular” farrier for 25 See LUONGO, page 28
So last Sunday, Mark and I were zipping down I-95 in our SUV and I, for one, was as happy as the proverbial clam.
That’s because the SUV was filled to the roof with things I had scored at an estate sale. There were crystal pitchers and sterling plates and boxes and boxes of ordinary items like candlesticks, baskets, planters and linens. Topping it off was a kicky aluminum Christmas tree in its original box circa 1952. What a great sale!
Yet the conversation regarding how to price these items as inventory for my shop had come to a close, and now I had my nose buried deep in a book while the ever-vigilant Mark kept his eyes on the road. It is one of the joys of my life to be hurtled through space in a steel cage so I can reach my destination quickly, all while catching up on my reading. Tonight, just a few more chapters and I’d know whodunnit.
The hum of the wheels, the music on the
a neighboring car quickly switched lanes.
been a banana in the car! I don’t know.
“What the heck...?!” Mark shouted.
“A spider!” A sticky puddle with legs had formed on my slacks, and there was a new stain on the back of my book. “Look! A spider crawled on me!”
“Oh, for God’s sake.”
“It was a big one!”
“Don’t yell like that when I’m driving!”
Did he not hear what had just happened?
radio, and the false sense of security I was getting from my seatbelt — that’s when the largest spider I’ve ever seen decided to emerge from one of the boxes and skibble across my lap.
“Gaaa-aaack!!” I yelled, then gasped, choked, spluttered, grabbed my book and WHAPP!
Mark voiced what I believe is commonly referred to as “an expletive” and jerked his head to see what was going on. The car rocked from side to side. Next to us, a horn blared as
“Sor-ry!”
We lapsed into our respective silences, each considering the other to be totally unreasonable.
Myself, I had some introspection to do — not about the spider, but about the scream.
Mind, I still felt perfectly justified. I’d recently come across a black widow nestled in the corner of a card table... and tarantulas, well, they could be anywhere. I’m told they hide in banana shipments. There may have
But I was disappointed in my scream. I have exhaustively researched women in old movies (mostly by watching TV), and I know that all you needed to be a star in the early days of filmdom was a good, healthy scream. Or even a timorous, lilting, feminine scream. But “Gaaa-aaack!” was definitely out; not what directors were looking for at all and certainly not very ladylike.
So I made up my mind to work on this. Without really thinking, I started making little practice sounds — “eek” ... “eeeek!” ... “eeeeeeeeeek!!”
I forgot Mark was even in the car until he spoke. “What are you doing?”
“I’m... oh, never mind.” Men make great drivers, but I don’t think they understand the nuances of life.
So I’ll practice my spider scream somewhere else. Because if I keep going to estate sales, I just may have to use it.
Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland is not, I repeat, not Lewis Carroll’s version, but I would guess they could coexist. After all, Burton is one of our most eccentric filmmaker, and Carroll was not exactly normal either.
Burton explained that Carroll’s books (Alice in Wonderland and Through the LookingGlass) were mostly a series of small-scale meetings between Alice and a variety of weird characters. Linda Woolverton, the screenwriter, instead created an overarching story of political and social repression and liberation.
Surprisingly, it works quite well.
Carroll (actually Charles Dodgson, a renowned mathematician) would have objected strongly to changing Alice from a young girl to a 19-year-old, particularly since by today’s standards he probably would be incarcerated for child pornography (some of his photographs of young nude girls still exist) and scholars debate whether or not he was a pedophile. But the change in age serves the film very well.
Alice (Mia Wasikowska) discovers that her visit to a huge party in Victorian England is designed to have her accept an
continued from page 27 years, and then developed a system of natural hoof care, based on how horses move and how their feet work. He also found Pete Ramey, who had written a book on the subject. In 2002, Luongo started offering natural hoof care to his clients.
“I didn’t like what I saw,” he said. “It was accepted by a lot of horse owners that their horses would be slightly off, a little ‘ouchy’ or lame the first few days after being trimmed or shod. I thought that was ridiculous. I can trim any horse naturally, and they never feel ‘ouchy’ or go lame.”
‘I’
By Leonard Wechsler Deborah Welky
engagement to a revolting young man. She runs off, following a white rabbit, and most of us remember a lot of the rest. Burton and Woolverton wisely focus on Alice’s growing up, or as several characters tell her, becoming “more Alice,” as she learns to face up to challenges alien to a young woman of the 19th century.
Wonderland, or Underland as the characters call it, is a tyranny run by the Red Queen (a somewhat digitally distorted Helena Bonham Carter). No opposition is allowed. All her courtiers are deformed, and she uses animals as furniture. She rules through terror, particularly from the huge Bandersnatch (a gigantic mixture of bear and dog) and, most particularly, the Jab-
Luongo said that traditional hoof trimming and horse shoeing often results in the hoof wall (the outside edge) carrying most of the horse’s weight. But naturally, with wild horses, the sole (the whole hoof bottom), bars (two raised ridges that run from the frog to the wall) and frog (a spongy triangular part that goes from the heels to the center of the hoof) should carry most of the weight.
“This balances the hoof and allows the horse to stride better,” Luongo said. “Also, the frog is supposed to hit the ground with each stride. It acts as a cushion and also increases blood circulation to the hoof, which is really important.”
The old saying, “No hoof, no horse,” is quite true, and many things can quickly devastate hooves, including too much hard work, too much rich food, and incorrect hoof care.
“Some of the things people try...” Luongo sighed. “If a horse develops laminitis, navic-
berwocky, a dragon. She rules, while the White Queen (played languidly by Anne Hathaway) waits in exile.
Alice quickly meets the characters we have come to know from earlier movies: Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the Cheshire Cat, the March Hare, the Dormouse, and, of course, the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). Depp plays the Hatter as a frustrated revolutionary, waiting for the Frabjous Day, the day when Alice kills the Jabberwocky. His playing of the part is wild, enjoyable, yet to a large degree, almost a set-aside, a bit of humor to occupy us as Alice grows up.
The final battles as Alice begins to understand the importance of being herself, of doing important things (I believe I mentioned something about women’s liberation), particularly in a lovely, brief scene with Absolem, a blue caterpillar (beautifully voiced by Alan Richman), where they discuss the importance of metamorphosis, literally in his case, metaphorically in hers), and her willingness to face up to be an active participant in her own life, both in Wonderland and back in Victorian England.
The film will clash with most of our mem-
ular disease or founder — these are careerending conditions, sometimes life-ending conditions. Or so we’ve been led to believe.
People pay a fortune for X-rays, drugs and special shoes, which sometimes help. After they’ve tried everything else, they call me as a last resort, when they have nothing left to lose, and a lot of times I’m able to restore the horse to health without all those fancy gimmicks. The lack of knowledge drives me crazy. I’m out to change the world one hoof at a time.”
Luongo is passionate about what he does, and knows he angers some people.
“But I don’t really care about them,” he said. “I care about the horses. When I see a horse suffering, I suffer with him. I want to be educational, not confrontational.”
Luongo’s goal is to help his clients improve their relationships with their horses.”
“This isn’t about me — doing things this
ories of Alice since our strongest memories in most cases comes from the early Disney cartoon version, much of which also had little to do directly with the original books.
But it works very nicely as a political piece, particularly by not rubbing it very hard in our faces. The Red Queen is evil and the people, animals and strange beings are oppressed. But by focusing on Alice and her accepting responsibility for taking action and doing what she feels right, the lesson is both learned and enjoyable.
Many people are going to this film according to the earnings numbers. Some of it may be because parents think they are going to provide a nice film for their children. And, while the film might be a bit dark for the very young, adults will find that they enjoy it as much as their kids. And for those who accept the idea of personal growth and responsibility, there will be an extra bit of enjoyment watching the young woman, treated as not much more than a possession in her regular world, grow to be strong and capable.
This is a good movie. Not a great one, but certainly one I would not mind seeing again on DVD. See it.
way is so easy that anyone can learn it. It’s a whole lot easier than struggling with your horse day after day,” he said. “I don’t think anyone’s more passionate about making horses happier than I am, and to do that, I have to help humans understand what horses need and want.”
The main problems, Luongo said, are lack of confidence, lack of communication and lack of respect.
“It’s more important to listen to the horse rather than to tell it something, and always, you must consider what’s important to the horse,” he said. “The relationship should be 51 percent to 49 percent, with people having the bigger share. Fostering trust and respect is everything. Also, remember to go at the speed of the horse; when it comes to horses, the slower you go, the faster you get there.” For more information, call Luongo at (954) 629-6327.
Enjoy the summer of a lifetime! Breakers West Summer Camp offers something for everyone. Campers, ages five to 14, are invited to join the Breakers West counselors for daily swimming instruction, as well golf, tennis, basketball and soccer play. Campers will also enjoy arts and crafts, cooking classes, wildlife demonstrations, science experiments, magic shows and much more! Breakers West Summer Camp is available Monday through Friday from 8:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting June 7 through Aug. 13 (excluding July 5-9). Weekly sessions are $300 per camper, per week, with a one-time registration fee of $35, which includes a camp essentials gift bag. Discounts are available to families registering multiple children and/or for multiple sessions. This summer, Breakers West is also pleased to offer sessions for professional golf and tennis instruction and after care. Space is limited, so don’t wait to reserve your place at Breakers West Summer Camp 2010. For more information, or to register, call (561) 653-6333.
Calling all campers for a summer of a lifetime. Sports-minded, adventure-seeking, nature-loving kids will find something for everyone at Breakers West, where there is fun for all and all for fun.
Weekly sessions available June 7 through August 13, 2010. 8:45 a.m. –3:00 p.m. • Ages 5 –14
Daily Golf, Tennis, Basketball & Soccer Play Daily Swimming Instruction • Arts & Crafts • Magic Shows Cooking Classes • Wildlife Demonstrations • Science Projects Friday's Famous Family Cookout And Much More...
This summer we are pleased to also offer sessions for Professional Golf & Tennis Instruction and After Care.
Academy for Child Enrichment — In the heart of Royal Palm Beach, the Academy for Child Enrichment offers free all day VPK. Infants through after-school day and night care, 6:30 a.m. to midnight (Monday through Friday), meals included. Qualified staff. Se habla Espanol. Special rates for all registration. The Academy for Child Enrichment is located at 700 Camellia Drive in Royal Palm Beach. Call (561) 798-3452 or visit www.small worldpbc.com for more info.
Casperey Stables Horse Camp — Casperey Stables is a small, fun-filled day camp for children ages seven to 14. With four riding opportunities each day, arts & crafts and outdoor games, campers find little time to be bored. The low counselor-child ratio ensures your child will receive individual attention. There are camp sessions for spring and winter school breaks, and during the summer, each two-week session has a theme, such as Indian Days, Circus Days and Medieval Days. Casperey Stables has a weekly swim party and ends each session with a horse show and family BBQ. Call soon — this small, quality program fills quickly! To learn more about the camp, located at 2330 D Road in Loxahatchee Groves, call (561) 792-4990 or visit www.casperey stables.com.
Everglades Youth Conservation Camp — Make the Florida Everglades your child’s backyard this summer. The Everglades Youth Conservation Camp (EYCC) is located in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area in western Palm Beach County. The residential summer camp program is for campers eight to 14 years old. The EYCC also offers a junior counselor program. Also, the FAU/Pine Jog Summer Day Camp is the perfect balance of environmental education, arts, culture, sports and outdoor fun. Pine Jog will be offering a full summer program for children who have completed grades K-5. Visit www.pinejog.fau.edu for more information on either program.
Loxahatchee Country Preschool — The Loxahatchee Country Preschool has been here for 20 years and provides a safe environment with small ratios for summer campers, which means children are well supervised. Throughout the summer, the camp program offers arts and crafts, field trips (which the management team attends), swimming lessons in the school’s swimming pool, Spanish lessons, movies, a bounce house, golf, bowling and more in-house activities. A free pizza lunch will be provided on Fridays. It’s a safe environment while providing an excellent educational program! In a letter sent to the school, the Kings Academy wrote, “What preschools are better prepared for Kings? Loxahatchee Country Preschool was mentioned with enthusiasm!” Call (561) 790-1780 for more information.
Movement Arts Dance Academy Movement Arts will be holding seven weeks of funfilled summer camp. Weekly themed mini camps for ages three to five will run the weeks of June 14, July 19 and July 26. Students will have fun with arts & crafts and games in addition to learning several styles of dance. Full day camps for ages six to 11 will be held from June 21 through July 16. Classes will include ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and more. A performance will be held at the end of each two-week session. The studio is conveniently located on State Road 7 just south of Okeechobee Blvd. For more information, call (561) 792-9757 or visit www.movementartsdanceacademy.com.
Noah’s Ark — Noah’s Ark is located on Okeechobee Blvd in Loxahatchee Groves. They offer free all-day VPK. Lower rates and special registration for fall. Meals are included. Noah’s Ark offers care for infants and preschool children as well as after-school care. Se habla Espanol. Conveniently located at 14563 Okeechobee Blvd. between Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves elementary schools. Call (561) 753-6624 for more info.
Scuba Works — This summer, your child (ages eight to 16) can spend a week with Scuba Works and earn a PADI Jr. Open Water Certification, a PADI Jr. Advanced Open Water Certification or a PADI Master Seal Team Certification. Student divers will attend classes on SCUBA diving and Reef Check, an underwater environmentalist course, spend time in the pool and dive two days in the ocean! The courses run Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The courses are taught by PADI five-star certified instructors and are limited to 12 student divers per session. Student divers will need a mask, fins and snorkel. For more info., call (561) 575-DIVE or visit www.scubaworks.com.
Temple Beth Zion Preschool — Temple Beth Zion is where children of all faiths learn and play together. The preschool offers a fun-filled summer program in a safe, loving environment. The ratios are small and the staff is dedicated and caring. TBZ has a strong academic program with small classes during the school year. Registration is now open for the summer and for fall sessions of preschool and religious school. The school is APPLE accredited and offers free VPK pre-kindergarten with no hidden fees. Temple Beth Zion is located at 129 Sparrow Drive in Royal Palm Beach. Call (561) 798-3737 for more information.
The Camp at St. David’s — The Camp at St. David’s is designed for young children ages three to eight and summer VPK is also available. This year’s theme is “Under the Sea” and each week, campers will investigate creatures that live in God’s oceans. Activities include Bible stories, crafts, water play, music and movie day. Camp runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Sign up for two days or five days, one week or the whole summer. For more info., call (561) 793-1272.
The Lake Worth Playhouse continues its 57th season with the Agatha Christie classic murder mystery, The Mousetrap. The show runs now through March 21 at the playhouse, located at 713 Lake Avenue in downtown Lake Worth.
Murder lurks around every corner in Christie’s classic tale of mystery and intrigue.
When newlywed couple Giles and Mollie Ralston hang out their shingle and prepare to become neophyte innkeepers of the recently inherited Monkswell Manor, they can’t possibly predict the intrigue that is about to ensue. On their first night of business and in the midst of a raging blizzard, one of their five
guests is strangled to death.
The assorted collection of peculiar lodgers is interrogated, one by one, revealing that each harbors a dark secret. Like most of Agatha Christie’s stories, the play is known for its “twist ending.” The Lake Worth Playhouse production of The Mousetrap is directed by Richard Green.
Individual show tickets are $25 and $29 and can be purchased through the Lake Worth Playhouse box office at (561) 586-6410 or online at the playhouse web site at www.lakeworthplayhouse.org. Dinner and show tickets cost $50 and include a three-course meal at L’Anjou restaurant.
The Dreyfoos School of Arts theater department will present Alfred Uhry’s 1997 Tony Award-winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo March 17-21 in the school’s Meyer Hall Theater, located one block north of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts on Tamarind Avenue in West Palm Beach.
Called “a sincere, good hearted work... the theatrical equivalent of comfort food” by the New York Times, the play takes place in Atlanta during the premiere of Gone With the Wind. Hitler is invading Poland, but the Frietag family is more concerned with who is going to Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. This Jewish family gets pulled apart and then mended together with comedy, romance and revelations. Events take unexpected turns as the characters face who they really are.
The Dreyfoos production takes place on a two-story set designed by senior Abby Botnick (Palm Beach) and built by students with assistance from stagecraft teacher Ed Blanchette. Costumes are designed by senior Josie Murray (West Palm Beach) with assistance from costume teacher Penny Williams. The cast members include Erica Freedman (Wellington), J. Stephen Gardner (Palm Beach Gardens), Colton Hearn (West Palm Beach), Maggie Owen (Boca Raton), David Peters (Lake Worth), Brianna Rouse (Boynton Beach) and Haley Sikes (Lake Worth). The stage manager is Sophia Mysel (Wellington), and Theater Dean Beverly Blanchette directs.
To prepare for their roles, the actors researched the customs, fashions and situations of the locale and time period. They met with an ad-
visor (Jane Warshaw of West Palm Beach) whose own father attended the real Ballyhoo. They have perfected both the American Southern and Brooklyn dialects.
Blanchette noted that the play is intended for young and old alike. “It’s a play about family,” she said. “Everyone is sure to recognize something about their own family in this delightful masterpiece, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1997.”
Performances are scheduled for 7 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. Groups of 20 or more may purchase tickets for $10 each.
Tickets cost $15 and may be purchased by calling the box office at (561) 802-6052 or at the door one hour before curtain. For more information about the performance, call the box office or e-mail blanchb@ palmbeach.k12.fl.us.
Irish Fest will take place Saturday and Sunday, March 13 and 14 on Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach.
The 15th annual festival, located at the Meyer Amphitheatre, features internationally acclaimed bands direct from Ireland, step dancers, bagpipes, comedians and the International Pub Tent and Dublin Pub Tent, with authentic Irish food and drink.
Headliners include Derek Warfield and the Young Wolf Tones, the Prodigals, Mac Talla Mor, Kathy Durkin, the Tir Na Greine School of Irish Dance and Noel Kingston. The family-friendly festival also features activities for the young and young at heart including rides, games, arts and crafts, storytelling,
clowns and an Irish marketplace. Admission to the festival is $5 for adults and free for children under 14. Irish Fest hours are noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, March 13 and noon
to 8 p.m. Sunday, March 14, with a traditional Gaelic mass at 11 am. For more information, visit www. irishflorida.com or call (800) 882ERIN.
It’s delightful, it’s delicious and its de-lovely song list reads like a collection of Cole Porter’s greatest hits. The 1934 musical Anything Goes brings such tunes as “You’re the Top,” “I Get a Kick Out of You” and “Anything Goes” to the Maltz Jupiter Theatre now through March 28.
The show, created in the midst of the Great Depression, provided just the kind of escape audiences needed from the economic troubles of the day. Fast-forward 76 years to different troubled economic times, and Anything Goes still resonates with its mad-cap voyage on a cruise ship in which the passenger list includes an evangelist-turned-nightclub singer, a debutante and her mother, and a wealthy businessman. Stowaways include a gangster — disguised as a minister — and the businessman’s assistant, who tries to win the heart of the debutante. Unfortunately, she is en-
gaged to a foolish but wealthy Englishman.
The story, with its book by Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse (revised by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse), has a lot going on. But the plot unfolds amid a series of slapstick scenes, songs and tap-dancing that keeps it going.
Bringing it all together is director/choreographer Marcia Milgrom Dodge, who leads a cast of 18. The music director is multiple Carbonell-nominee Helen Gregory.
Tickets for Anything Goes cost $40 to $59 and can be purchased by phone at (561) 5752223 or online at www.jupitertheatre.org.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s March lineup also includes some great limited engagements:
• Forbidden Broadway, March 14 at 8 p.m. — This comedic and melodic spoof of the Great White Way marks its 25th anniver-
sary of performing hilarious send-ups of such shows as South Pacific, La Cage aux Folles, Hairspray and Wicked, and pays satirical homage to such Broadway stars as Carol Channing, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli and Ethel Merman. Tickets cost $40.
• John Pizzarelli Quartet, March 21 at 8 p.m. — The jazz guitarist lends his smooth vocals to a variety of pop standards and latenight ballads from the Great American Songbook. With a Song in My Heart, a tribute to the music of Richard Rodgers, is the latest of his 20 albums. Tickets cost $50.
• From Piaf to Broadway & Back with Louise Pitre, March 22 at 7:30 p.m. — Canadian songstress Louise Pitre has been dazzling audiences for more than two decades. She starred as Donna Sheridan in Mamma Mia! for two years on Broadway, and has starred in Annie Get Your Gun, Piaf, Les Mis-
Joe & Kathryn, the Phantoms, are featured writers for the Town-Crier and www.yournews.com...
erables, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, among others. In this concert, Pitre will perform songs from Mamma Mia!, Piaf, Les Miserables and Jacques Brel
• Duncan Sheik Master Class, March 27 at 3 p.m. — The singer-songwriter, who had a hit with the song “Barely Breathing,” went on to win Tony Awards for his Broadway show, Spring Awakening. He discusses that material, as well as his latest work, Whisper House, in a free master class. Seating is limited; tickets are required.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is an award-winning professional not-for-profit regional theater dedicated to the performing arts whose mission is to entertain, educate and inspire the community. It is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and is located at 1001 E. Indiantown Road, east of U.S. Highway 1.
John C. Hunton Air Conditioning & Refrigeration is a family owned and operated business serving the western communities since 1996.
The business is owned by John Hunton, whose wife Martha is the office manager. Their son Kyle is a service technician, just like his father. The Huntons — proud Florida natives — also have a daughter, Brandi, who is currently a staff sergeant in the U.S. Army.
John Hunton holds an associate’s degree in science as well as a degree in air conditioning and refrigeration. He has been in the air conditioning business since 1976. John started his career working for a large corporation, and after 18 years decided to start his own company. John C. Hunton Air Conditioning & Refrigeration has been located in The Acreage since 1986.
Over the years, the company has been active in the local youth sports programs and at area high schools (Royal Palm Beach and Seminole Ridge). Kyle Hunton graduated from SRHS in 2008. He is currently enrolled at Palm Beach State College pursuing a degree in business and a journeymen’s license from the State of Florida. Kyle is planning to follow in father’s footsteps and take over the family business one day.
Martha Hunton works in the office and handles responsibilities such as paperwork, bookkeeping and meeting with sales people. She also is an active volunteer in the community. John and Martha both have enjoyed volunteering, from coaching youth sports teams to Martha’s role as team mom and planning the end-of-season parties. Martha also served on the board of the SRHS Athletic Booster Club. The Huntons have enjoyed watching the children and community grow through the years.
John C. Hunton Air Conditioning & Refrigeration provides services such as repairing and, when necessary, replacing air conditioners. The company services and sells all brands of equipment, including Trane, Bry-
ant, Rudd and Goodman, just to name a few. The company also sells preventive maintenance contracts.
Having your air conditioning serviced every six months helps keep the equipment running more efficiently. Maintenance includes cleaning the drain, checking the drain pan and putting in algae tablets (which help keep the drain from growing algae and clogging), and replacing the filter (supplied by the customer or provided by the company). Other services include inspecting the wiring for burnt spots and breakage, checking the electrical components, and inspecting the Freon pressures, including up to one pound of Freon.
John C. Hunton Air Conditioning & Refrigeration can customize a maintenance program that is best for the equipment and customer. For commercial preventive maintenance, the service is the same with added filter changes monthly or quarterly depending on the need of company.
Hunton has commercial maintenance contracts with local car dealerships, veterinarian hospitals and attorney offices. The company also services most brands of refrigerators and ice machines, both residential and commercial. Hunton and his associates work hard to make all repairs the same day.
One of the things John Hunton enjoys doing is helping customize air conditioning systems for custom homes and remodels. The company can do all that is needed: in house drawings, custom grills, duct work, permits, meetings with the general contractor and inspections. Hunton is there from start to finish. He works closely with local crane companies for those rooftop jobs and condominiums. There is no job too big or too small.
The Huntons are proud and thankful for their return customers and their referrals. The company carries all the state-required licenses and insurance. Call the office today for information on current specials. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 798-3225.
Intimate apparel manufacturer Wacoal will continue its battle against breast cancer with its Fi(GH)t for the Cure on Wednesday, March 17 from 11 to 5 p.m. at the Dillard’s department store in the Mall at Wellington Green.
Show up at Dillard’s and
receive your complimentary fitting in a Wacoal or B.tempt’d bra from a Wacoal fit specialist. Women can also sign up to receive a monthly e-mail reminder to do a self breast exam.
For every woman who participates, Wacoal will donate
$2 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for breast cancer research and community health programs. Wacoal will also donate an additional $2 for every Wacoal bra, shapewear piece or B.tempt’d bra purchased at the event.
Research shows that eight
To offer buyers the convenience of touring dozens of homes for sale in one weekend, area Realtors from the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches (RAPB) and their clients will host open houses April 10-11. It will be the first-ever statewide open house weekend and will be sponsored by the 115,000member Florida Realtors.
“It’s a home shopper’s dream,” 2010 RAPB President Kevin Kent said. “For the serious buyer, the opportunity to tour dozens of homes in one weekend is a real time saver. Others who didn’t think they could afford
a home may be drawn into the market by affordable prices and low interest rates. It’s a win-win!”
The Florida Open House Weekend comes just before the April 30 deadline for the federal homebuyer tax credit. Homes need to be under contract by April 30 and closed by June 30 for buyers to take advantage of up to $8,000 in tax credits. “This event offers people a convenient way to see as many homes as they want in one weekend and gives our members a chance to be part of this fantastic effort to match buyers to their sellers,” Kent said.
Kent added that the weekend will be a fun way to attract buyers and help them learn more about what is available in the local housing market.
Blue balloons, featuring the Realtor “R” in white, will denote those homes that are part of the statewide open house campaign.
The Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches represents more than 7,300 real estate professionals and is dedicated to preserving the vitality of Palm Beach County’s real estate market. For more info., visit www.rapb. com.
out of 10 women are wearing the wrong-sized bra. Women should be professionally fitted for a bra once a year to ensure their bra size has not changed as a result of fluctuations in their body. Through its landmark Fit for the Cure program, Wacoal
has surpassed $2 million in donations to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Breast cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American women and accounts for 26 percent of all cancers among women. By keeping women on track through monthly breast exam reminders, the “Wacoal promise” helps women stay committed to their health. For more information, visit www.wacoalamerica.com.
To contact Dillard’s in the Mall at Wellington Green, call (561) 227-5470.
The Oasis Compassion Agency, a Greenacres-based charity that offers job-placement assistance in addition to free food, clothing and counseling to the county’s underprivileged families, will hold a free career skills workshop on Saturday, March 20 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The event will take place in the junior auditorium at Palm Beach Baptist Church in Lake Worth.
The workshop will feature a motivational message from attorney, author and motivational speaker A. Wayne Gill, who will talk about “What it Takes to Be a Winner.” There
will be human resources personnel on hand to perform role plays on proper interview techniques and how to present yourself on paper. Image consultant Susan Warmington will also demonstrate how to dress, prepare and present yourself for the interview.
“Oasis has seen a large influx of blue and white collar workers throughout 2009 and early 2010, who were laid off and significantly impacted by the economy,” Oasis CEO Sharon Gill said. “Our mission is to extend a helping hand to those in need and to empower them to get to their
next step. This workshop is being offered to the community in order to reach individuals who are not yet mentally prepared to go to a social agency for help, but who need the tools to be competitive in today’s job market.” Palm Beach Baptist Church is located at 6201 S. Military Trail in Lake Worth. For directions, call the church at (561) 967-6379. The workshop is sponsored in part by TD Bank and will include refreshments. Registration is mandatory and can be done by visiting www.oasiscompassion.org or calling (561) 967-4066.
Health Care District of Palm Beach County employees made more than $12,000 in personal financial donations through an internal employee fundraising campaign to aid victims of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
The total $12,143.08 in donations were presented to the Greater Palm Beach Area Chapter of the American Red Cross to support the agency’s emergency relief and recovery efforts that include raising money for the Haitian Red Cross and working with local Haitian-American residents and their families. As a part of the relief drive, which concluded Friday, Feb. 12, employees also donated food supplies for survivors of the natural disaster. Many of the Health Care District’s 1,000 employees have strong family ties to Haiti, and some have been personally affected by the earthquake.
“At a time when the need in Haiti is so great, we wanted to provide a collaborative way for our employees to not only help the earthquake victims in Haiti, but also allow
them to show support for their neighbors and co-workers who have family there,”
Health Care District CEO Dwight Chenette said. “I am deeply moved by our employees’ overwhelming generosity and good will, which is even more impressive considering many of us have already donated to various relief efforts in our community.”
Food donations were delivered to Food for the Poor, an international emergency relief organization based in South Florida that raises funds and provides direct assistance to impoverished people throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. Because of its ongoing work in Haiti, Food for the Poor was able to immediately respond and find alternative ways to deliver aid despite the distribution challenges that arose in the days following the quake. Employees contributed to the campaign via personal check, payroll deduction and by donating accrued paid time off. “The outpouring of support by our employ-
Health Care District CEO Dwight Chenette (right) presents a check for $12,143.08 to Larry Casey, CEO of the
ees for those in need in this impoverished country is both impressive and appreciated,” Chenette said. “I am proud to work with such a charitable, kindhearted and caring group of employees.”
One Health Care District employee was able to donate his free time and expertise to provide medical relief in the days following the quake. Dr. Daniel Kairys, a surgeon at Lakeside Medical Center in
Belle Glade, which is owned and operated by the Health Care District, was among the first wave of medical responders after the earthquake struck. He and his Haitianborn wife Junia, a physician’s assistant, made their way to the capital city of Port-auPrince as part of Project Medishare for Haiti, a non-profit medical relief organization, to provide medical care to those injured in the disaster.
The Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association will host its 14th annual fashion show and luncheon on Saturday, April 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the PGA Doubletree Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens.
Fashion coordinator Rose Meyerowich will present spring and resort fashions from local area boutiques. Proceeds from the event will help support member education and scholarships. Attendees will enjoy spectacular fashions, a delightful luncheon and a chance to win some of the door prizes kindly donated by businesses in the area. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase for fabulous items such as a set of tires, fitness center mem-
berships, hotel stays, gift baskets and more.
The mission of the American Business Women’s Association is to bring together businesswomen of diverse occupations and to provide opportunities for them to help themselves and others grow personally and professional through leadership, education, networking, support and national recognition.
Admission to the April 24 event is $40, and the event is open to the public. For tickets or more information, contact Nancy Abbott at (561) 310-6313 or e-mail village interiors@bellsouth.net. For more information on the American Business Women’s Association, call Chapter President Carol O’Neil at (561) 389-1227.
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report
The Seminole Ridge High School girls softball team is counting on promising, young talent and new coach Patrick Moons as it works toward the district tournament this year.
“I have the luxury that I’ve inherited a really young group — a lot of ninth and 10th graders,” Moons said. “We’re going to get them as many at-bats and as much repetition as possible.”
Moons comes to the western communities from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale. This is his first year at Seminole Ridge, where he works with in-school suspension.
The Lady Hawks finished last season 16-7 and hope to gain experience, winning key district games against Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach Central, Royal Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Santaluces, Atlantic and Jupiter high schools.
To get them through the season, Moons is trying to build team chemistry and cohesiveness by working together.
“We’re developing on the idea of ‘one Hawk,’” he explained. “Because we are one Hawk. We’re so young, and it’s my first year here, too, so we’re trying to change the culture and surround ourselves with girls who want to play softball and are committed to the team.”
The team has three returning seniors and 11 new underclassmen. Returning are third baseman Lauren Berrios, catcher Linsay Fisher and outfielder Angela McGoldrick.
Moons said the new players bring talent and dedication to the team.
Co-captains Nikki Vasko, a sophomore shortstop, and Caitlin Korvela, a freshman who plays second base, exemplify the “one Hawk” mind-set, he said.
“Nikki is a sophomore, but I love her moxie,” he said. “She’s got a senior mind-set; I was amazed that
she was a sophomore when I first met her. And I knew Caitlin from soccer. She’s a dedicated player and one who I’m going to lean on to help lead the team.”
New talent also comes from sophomore Kayla Slocum, an outfielder and third baseman who Moons said is talented enough to play almost any position. “She wanted to make varsity, play varsity and start on varsity,” he said. “She worked hard, and that’s where she’s at now. The great thing about Kayla is she can play anywhere. It’s a great luxury.”
Sophomore Amanda Trainor, a catcher, will be limited to being a designated hitter this year because of a shoulder injury. Freshmen Mackenzie Davis, a center fielder, and Heather Shapiro, a second baseman and outfielder, round out the team.
The strength of the team comes from its youth and the players’ ability to play multiple positions.
“As a coach, I’m blessed to have that sort of luxury,” Moons said. “They’re playing positions they’re comfortable with, and some they’re not so comfortable with, but they’re maturing. They’ve embraced that.”
The team also is working on developing older and younger players to the same level.
“It’s a mix of young and old, and we’re trying to blend those age differences,” he said. “There is a big difference between seniors and freshmen. Especially because usually it’s the older ones who play and the younger ones have time to evolve. In this case, it’s almost the exact opposite. Some of the younger players get thrown into the fire really quick.”
But overall, the mix makes for a quickly maturing team that will have the benefit of experience in the years to come. “We have a great blend of youth and senior leadership,” Moons said. “These girls are mature beyond their years.”
When the athletic scores were read on the Wellington High School announcements on Wednesday, March 3, the excellence of the school’s programs was evident. “Boys baseball: 25-0 win. Boys lacrosse: 19-0 victory. Girls softball: 7-4 win.” By the time the boys tennis team was announced, its 6-1 victory was put in the shadows.
With a 6-0 record, the team coached by Bruce Israel remains unappreciated. Israel has brought the diverse group together to become one of the best teams in the area.
“Without him, the talent of our team would not be where it is today,” No. 6 singles player Doug Conti said. “Last year he guided our team to the only undefeated season the school has ever seen.”
No. 1 player Travis Michaud, a junior, leads
By Josh Hyber
the team. Michaud, who started playing in the eighth grade, used his athletic ability (he played basketball and baseball) to propel him to No. 3 singles as a freshman. Michaud competed in several United States Tennis Association tournaments and has won many local tournaments. “I am expecting to have a very successful year,” he said.
Michaud’s doubles partner is junior Ben Aqua. Aqua is the No. 2 singles player and has started his season with a 5-0 record. Together, the junior duo has translated their offthe-court friendship into a dominant pairing on it. They are 5-0 in doubles.
“The friendship with Ben has resulted in us having good chemistry on the court,” Michaud said. “The playing environment also is more relaxed, which has contributed to our success in many ways.”
With the loss of seniors Steven Bender and Sean Dargan, and key junior Ben Montoya, the players after Michaud and Aqua have moved up considerably. Ennio Matute, a freshman, and Juan Lopez, a senior, are the third- and fourth-ranked singles players, respectively.
Matute and freshman Arthur Strappazzon compose the No. 2 doubles team. Strappazzon is the No. 5 singles player. “With Bender and Dargan gone, it puts a little more pressure on Travis and me to win our matches,” Aqua said.
Michaud and his teammates understand that tennis “isn’t as popular as basketball and baseball.” But the team wishes its supporters would show more emotion. “I wish that fans were allowed to bring bull horns and maracas,” Michaud said jokingly.
The team was off the week of March 8 because of FCAT testing. It resumes play on Tuesday, March 16 at Glades Central. The Wolverines continue with two matches in the following two days at Martin County and at Royal Palm Beach.
The Village of Wellington hosted an opening-day ceremony for the inaugural season of its new recreational baseball program Saturday, March 6 at the Olympia Park ball fields.
The guest speakers were Bruce Delaney of Wellington Parks & Recreation and Mayor Darell Bowen, who threw out the ceremonial first pitch to Junior Division Marlins
catcher Matthew Miller. The Marlins defeated the Yankees 12-6.
The ceremonies included all teams from the Wellington recreational program. More than 600 players ranging in age from four to 14 are participating. There are six divisions determined by age. Each team will play 12 regular-season games, all taking place at Olympia Park.
Ultimate Cheer & Dance of West Palm Beach won two national titles at the Bringin’ the Heat competition on Sunday, Feb. 21 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.
The Mini squad (eight years and under) won first place and are the national champions. The Youth squad (11 years and under) also won first place and are national champions; in addition, they will perform at an upcoming Miami Heat game. The Senior squad (18 and under) placed second.
The Ultimate cheer family consists of cheerleaders and coaches who live in Wellington, The Acreage, Lake Worth, West Palm Beach and Martin County. Ultimate Cheer & Dance is located at 440 Tall Pines Road, Suite K. Tumbling classes are available on Fridays from 6 to 7 p.m. The cost is $15 per class or $45 per month. For more information on the award-winning all-star cheerleading program, tumbling or summer camp, call (561) 644-5214.
The Royal Palm Beach High School boys basketball team will host a clinic for local youth Saturday, March 20 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at the high school.
The clinic is open to boys and girls from preschool through eighth grade. The RPBHS coaching staff and team will offer instruction.
Games will be played with campers divided into teams based on skill level.
The cost is $20, with funds going to pay for the Wildcats’ team trip to the University of Florida for team camp this summer. For more information, contact Head Coach Drew Quinn at quinna@ palmbeach.k12.fl.us.
The Acreage Wolverines, coached by Shawn Mears and Rodney Lewis, won the 19th annual Kelly McGillis Classic Flag Football World Challenge Feb. 13-14 in Key West. The team scored more than 60 offensive points, giving up only two touchdowns. This is the fifth year the Wolverines have won the tournament. Several players were named to the tournament all-star team. Quarterback Hilary Mears, receiver Charlene Thome and center Madison Harding earned offensive honors. Rusher Kailah Casillas, linebacker Raquel Lewis, linebacker Hailey Mears, safety Megan O’Hara and kicker Casey Turek earned honors on defense. Team MVP was awarded to Casillas for defense and Thome for offense. (Above) Holley Mears, Hailey Mears, Turek, Casillas, Lewis, Ashley LaCroix, Charlene Thome, Brittany Godfrey, Hilary Mears, Megan O’Hara, Kaitlin O’Hara and Madison Harding.
Three ninjas from the Genbu-Kai Karate School in Royal Palm Beach were tested and promoted to their next belt ranks. They are Keon Pinkney, Sara Dominguez and Aiden Murray.
The three students have been with Sensei Keith Moore since April 2009. They live in the western communities and are between the ages of five and seven.
The ninjas have a total of eight belt levels to test through before they are ready for the junior karate class.
Ninjas are taught eight basic skill levels, which include: focus, teamwork, control, balance, memory, discipline, fitness and coordination. Ninja classes are offered for children between the ages of four and six.
Florida Genbu-Kai Karate’s facility is located at 585 105th Avenue N., Suite 18B, in Royal Palm Beach. For more information about the karate classes, call (561) 214-5299 or visit the studio’s web site at www. floridagenbukai.com.
The Level 4 team from Cats Gymnastics in Wellington recently participated at the USAG state meet in Coral Springs.
Isabella Padilla scored 9.0 on floor and 9.75 on vault. She won first place on vault, earning her the title of 2009 Level 4 state vault champion. Sophia Ringvald scored an 8.6 on floor and an amaz-
ing 9.45 on vault, taking second place on vault. In addition, Alexia Moraes had a great meet as well. The girls are coached by Margarita Martinez, Felipe Restrepo and Mario Restrepo. For more information about how to compete on an award-winning team, call (561) 795-3393 or visit www. catsgymnastics.com.
Saturday, March 13
• Wellington Landings Middle School will host its inaugural Pancake Breakfast and Silent Auction on Saturday, March 13 from 8 to 11 a.m. Tickets cost $5 in advance and $7 at the door. Silent auction items include Broadway tickets, fishing trips and gift cards. Enjoy pancakes with friends while listening to the middle school band play. All proceeds will help the WLMS Band Department. E-mail loisinfla@aol.com for info.
• The Arthritis Foundation’s 13th annual Magic of Caring Fashion Show & Luncheon will be held Saturday, March 13 at 11:30 a.m. at the Palm Beach Gardens Marriott. Tickets cost $75 for adults and $30 for children. For more info., call Susie Rhodes at (561) 833-1133.
• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road 7, Wellington) will hold a free St. Patrick’s Day Beer Tasting on Saturday, March 13 from noon to 4 p.m. Call (561) 904-4000 or e-mail lauren.belinsky@wholefoods.com for more info.
• The ninth annual Challenge of the Americas competition and gala will take place Saturday, March 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. The event will feature top equestrian riders and benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. VIP Challenge Gala tickets are available for $250 per person; general admission Challenge of the Americas tickets will be $20 at the gate. Children under 12 are admitted free. For more info., visit www.challengeoftheamericas.com or call Mary Ross at (561) 852-2591.
• Live Arts Florida will host Pianist Copeland Davis & Friends on Saturday, March 13 at 8 p.m. at the Wellington High School performing arts theater. Tickets may be purchased at the door, online at www. tickets.liveartsfl.org or by calling (888) 841ARTS.
• The 2010 All Breed Dog Show will be held March 13-14 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League and other canine charities. Visit www.pbcdfa.org for more info. Sunday, March 14
• Palm Beach Roadrunners’ 34th Annual Shamrock Run will be held at John Prince Park in Lake Worth on Sunday, March 14. The festivities will begin at 7:30 a.m. For info., visit www.palmbeachroadrunners. com/shamrock.
• The Good Earth Farm will host an
equine showcase for ponies, minis and donkeys at noon on Sunday, March 14 at its animal sanctuary at 2142 B Road in Loxahatchee Groves. There will be vendors, pony rides and a pet store, with lots of fun things for families with children and lots of room for trailer and car parking. For more information about vending or showcasing your animal, call Nancy at (561) 792-2666 or Barbara at (561) 373-9435.
• The 12th Annual Spring Benefit & Auction “Enchanted Garden” will be held Sunday, March 14 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach). Guests will enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres and a silent auction of beautiful plants, garden art, and more. Tickets cost $75 per person and are available by calling Mounts at (561) 2331757. For more info., visit www.mounts.org. Monday, March 15
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host Board Games Spectacular on Monday, March 15 at 3:30 p.m. for ages six and up. To pre-register, call (561) 7906070.
• The National Alliance on Mental Illness will hold a Palm Beach County general meeting on Monday, March 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the main county library (3650 Summit Blvd., West Palm Beach). The program will be “Sadowski Housing Trust Fund: What Happened to the Fund and What Can We Do to Secure These Funds?” by Patrick McNamara, CEO and president of Housing Partnership. For info., call (561) 588-3477.
• The Mid-County Democratic Club will meet Monday, March 15 at 7 p.m. at Tree’s Wings & Ribs in Royal Palm Beach. Speakers will include State Attorney Michael McAuliffe and Palm Beach County Tax Collector Anne Gannon. For more info., call Allen Mergaman at (561) 255-0724. Tuesday, March 16
• The Royal Palm Beach Na’Amat Sharon Club will meet Tuesday, March 16 at 11:30 a.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). The guest speaker will be Palm Beach Post restaurant critic Charles Passy. Refreshments will be served, followed by a short business meeting. For more info., call Cecile Millman at (561) 795-5811.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will celebrate the Chinese New Year on Tuesday, March 16 at 3 p.m. for ages five and up. Celebrate the Year of the Tiger
See CALENDAR, page 48
CALENDAR, continued from page 46 with stories, songs and a craft. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a Teen Advisory Group Meeting on Tuesday, March 16 at 6:30 p.m. for ages 12 to 17. Snacks will be provided. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Anime Grab Bag” on Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. for ages 12 to 17. View new anime titles. Pocky will be provided. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.
• The Wellington Village Council will meet Tuesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). For more info., call (561) 791-4000.
Wednesday, March 17
• The Palms West Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Committee will meet Wednesday, March 17 at 7:30 a.m. at O’Dell Inc. (3500 Fairlane Farms Road, Suite 4, Wellington). For more info., call Susan Giddings at (561) 753-7296 or e-mail sgiddings@odell-inc.com.
• The Wellington Chamber of Commerce will host its Business Excellence Awards Luncheon and 2010 Board of Directors Installation on Wednesday, March 17 at 11:30 a.m. at the Wanderers Club (1900 Aero Club Drive, Wellington). The Town-Crier newspaper will be honored with a Business Excellence Award, while Ultra Cleaners will be named Best Emerging Business. RSVP to (561) 792-6525.
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host “Talk to an Immigration Information Officer: A Citizenship Workshop” on Wednesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. for adults. Officials will explain the process of becoming a citizen. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6030.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Socrates Café” on Wednesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. for adults. The Society for Philosophical Inquiry initiated the concept for this discussion led by Marji Chapman. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.
• Shulamit Hadassah will host “Rosh Hodesh Under the Stars” on Wednesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. at Veterans Park in Royal Palm Beach. Call (561) 795-9071 for more info.
Thursday, March 18
• The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors will meet Thursday, March 18 at 3:30 p.m. for a water utilities
workshop, followed by a regular meeting at 5:30 p.m. at the ITID office (13476 61st St. North, The Acreage). For more info., call (561) 793-0874.
• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “How Green Can You Go?” on Thursday, March 18 at 6:30 p.m. for ages 12 to 17. Try your luck in a “Go Green” scavenger hunt. Make your own Mr. Potato Head with real potatoes. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6070.
• The Royal Palm Beach Village Council will meet Thursday, March 18 at 7 p.m. at Royal Palm Beach Village Hall (1050 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.). For more info., call (561) 790-5100.
Friday, March 19
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will feature “Express Yourself: Book Discussion Series” on Friday, March 19 at 2 p.m. for adults. Barbara Harnick will lead a discussion of The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth. Sign up and check out the book. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6030.
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will offer an “End-of-FCAT” Party on Friday, March 19 at 3:30 p.m. for ages eight to 12. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6030.
• The Clay-Glass-Metal-Stone Gallery (605 Lake Avenue, Lake Worth) will host an opening reception for a new exhibit Friday, March 19 from 6 to 9 p.m. The exhibit features finely detailed gold cloisonne jewelry by Gael and Howard Silverblatt, along with clay and bronze sculptures by Edith Perle-Smith. For info., call (561) 588-8344 or visit www.clayglassmetalstone.com.
• Pop and R&B Superstar Akon will perform in concert on Friday, March 19 at 7 p.m. at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington. The concert will be part of a dual performance event kicking off with the $25,000 Puissance International. For more info., e-mail info@angel stoneproductions.com or visit www.angel stoneproductions.com.
• The Shulamit Chapter of Hadassah will celebrate the kickoff of its very own cookbook on Saturday, March 13 at 7:30 p.m. at a private home in Wellington. Come enjoy samplings from fabulous home chefs. Call (954) 822-4400 for the location and more info.
Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. Email: news@gotowncrier.com.
SALE —
2
urday, March 13 th 8:00 a.m. NO EARLY BIRDS. Household Items, Toys, Clothing, Plantation Shutter, ATV, Electric Scooters. 12628 Temple Blvd.(Loxahatchee/West Palm)
VOLUNTEER AT AN ANIMAL SANCTUARY HORSE FARM - 14 and up, community Service. (561) 792-2666
TEACHERS/TUTORS P/T
Flexible Hrs. Great Pay. MATH • STUDY SKILLS SAT/ACT
Certification/Experience Required Fax: 828-8128
Email:tutorking@wpb3331980.com
1 CLEANING PERSON NEEDED PART-TIME - for cleaning company. Must speak English and Drive. For Wellington and Surrounding areas. 561-795-1741 or fax 561-795-0272
WORK FROM HOME - No experience necessary. Send $5.00 and self addressed stamped envelope to: M.A. Fernald P.O. Box 211932, RPB, FL 33421
WANTED: SERIOUS PEOPLE
Work from anywhere 24/7 up to $1,500 - $5,000 P/T/F/T complete info & training www.DOTHISBIZ.com
PERMANENT OFFICE HELP
NEEDED — Tuesdays & Thursdays. $12 hr. 10 hrs. per week 561718-0870 or fax resume 561-3837770
ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM12 month training/action program in the U.S./Caribbean Assist Community to improve economy and install inexpensive /clean energy supplies.510-734-6777 Anthony@ccgtg.org www.IICDmichigan.org
JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC. —Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "We are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225. Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted
A/C SALES & SERVICE — New, used, scratch & dent. If you used anyone but Glover’s A/C, you probably paid too much! U10163. 7937388
ARE YOUR TREES READY FOR A HURRICANE? — Florida Arborists has highly trained professionals to provide superior and quality services. 561-568-7500
WELLINGTON BARN BUILDER— Repairs/remodeler.Get an expert that can do it right! EUROPEAN QUALITY AT AN affordable price. 30 years experience, licensed and insured. Homes, condos, bath, kitchens, additions, small stuff. Call 561-723-5837 561-792-2666. ALAN TOBIN CONSTRUCTION, INC. CGC1513577
J.C. TEETS & CO. — Get your general ledger ready for tax season today! Professional. affordable fullservice bookkeeping. Quickbooks Expert. Call 561-632-0635
MEDICAL AND PROFESSIONAL
BUILDING CLEANINGS SPECIALISTS — • Pressure Cleaning • Office Cleaning • Residential Cleaning • Parking Lot Maintenance • Concrete Coatings. Call for Free Evaluation. 561-714-3608
HOUSECLEANING - Reliable with long term clients. Over 12 years experience. References available. Karen 561-632-2271
HOUSECLEANING - 20 years experience. Excellent local references. Shopping available. 561572-1782
20 YEARS IN THE CLEANING BUSINESS — in Western Communities and surrounding areas. Great references. Call for free estimates.Brenda 561-460-8380 HOMES OR OFFICES - expert cleaning done by competent team We do homes & offices.Call Eddie for estimate 876-2120 Licensed & Insured.
COMPUTER REPAIR — We come to you! After hours and weekends services available. Spyware/ Adware/Virus Removal, Networking, Wireless, Backup Data, Upgrades. Call Anytime. 561-7135276
MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/ Software setup, support &troubleshooting www.mobiletec.net. 561-248-2611
D.J. COMPUTER - Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, repairs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-3339433 or Cell 561-252-1186 Lic’d Well. & Palm Beach
ADDITIONS, ROOFING, PATIOS & REMODELING - Cell 561-202-7036 561-798-6448 Licensed & Insured. CBC 1250306 CCC1326386
DADS DOORS & WINDOWS, INC. IMPACT WINDOWS & HURRICANE SHUTTERS — Sliding Glass Doors, Mirrors & Shower Doors. 561-355-8331 U 19958 U20177
CASTLE ROCK, A DRYWALL CO. — “BUILDING ON EXCELLENCE” Framing /Hanging /Finishing Popcorn and Wallpaper Removal Drywall Repairs & Remodels Custom Built-Ins “TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR GREAT PRICES”Licensed & Insured Lic. #SCC131150623 Eric Rouleau 561-307-5202 CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS CALL 793-3576
DO YOU NEED HELP WITH AN ELDERLY OR ILL LOVED ONE?
GUARDSMAN FURNITURE PRO — For all your furniture repair needs including finish repairs, structural repairs, Leather repairs, chair regluing, antique repairs, kitchen cabinet refurbishing. 7538689 THE MASTER HANDYMAN — no job too big or small done right the first time every time 40 years of satisfied customers Tom (954) 4443178
ANMAR CO.— James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528
HOME INSPECTIONS — Mold inpections, air quality testing, US Building Inspectors mention this ad $20.00 Off. 561-784-8811
LOOKING TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR CAR INSURANCE - Your local Geico office has been saving people money for over 70 years. Contact (561) 616-5944 for a free rate quote. GET REAL AUTO INSURANCE — that comes with a Real Agent. Farm Bureau Insurance. Auto • Home • Life, Mark Piven, Agent 561-792-1991 Wellington.
Mold & Mildew Inspections — Air Quality Testing, leak detection. US building inspectors, mention this ad for discount. 561-784-8811
RJA PAINTING AND DECORATING, INC. - Interior , Exterior, Faux Finish, Residential,Commercial. License #U17536 Rocky Armento, Jr. 561-793-5455 561-662-7102
JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTING INC. - Interior/Exterior - Repaint specialist, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall repair & roof painting. Family owned/owner operator. Free Est. 798-4964. Lic. #U18473
COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Interior/Exterior, residential painting, over 20 years exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free est. - Insured. 561-3838666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident. CLASSIFIEDS GET RESULTS CALL 793-3576
LICENSED PLUMBER - Beat any legitimate estimate. A/C service lowest price. Complete service, new construction, replacement. CFC1426242 CAC058610 Bonded & Insured. 561-601-6458
POOL PLASTERING AND RESURFACING — Lic. U19996. 561722-7690.
J&B PRESSURE CLEANING — Established in 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.Call Butch 561-3096975 BD GRIME STOPPERS - Pressure cleaning, commercial & residential, houses, driveways, patios, screen enclosures, sidewalks. References available.561-779-1081 PSYCHIC READINGS
Special by Samantha. 1 FREE QUESTION by phone 561-541-0113 MINOR ROOF REPAIRS — Roof painting.Carpentry.Lic. #U13677.967-5580.
8072 Lic.#CCC1328598
ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763. ROOFING REPAIRS
FIVE ACRE EQUESTRIAN ESTATE$1,295,000 View Virtual tour 10265@Virtualviewhomes.com. BrokersWelcome! Call Seller 561791-4599 or 561-889-5487
ON FARM STUDIO APARTMENT— Tile/AC,separate bath $450 monthly. Ref. required. 966-8791
2 BEDROOM/2 BATH VILLA — Stainless steel appliance, tile, laminate floors $1,000/mo. 201-3111
ROOM FOR RENT — Prof. "Male or Female" Furnished Bedroom-use of all amenities washer/dryer. Community Pool $600 Mo. 236-9702
BEAUTIFUL TOWNHOUSE — in Royal Palm Beach, gated community, 3/3 ½ all large rooms. 7030590. Ask for Kevin.
TENNIS CLUB OF PALM
BEACHES — 1/1 bedroom, basic cable, water, washer/dryer, screened patio, pool and tennis. $750.00 Call Debbie 346-7061
EQUIPMENT FOR MANUFACTURING OF "SHOES - BOOTS" (Cowboy Boots) or "SHOE REPAIR SHOP" Two complete sets! Inventory: Sewing Machine, Stitcher, Skiving Machine, Embossing Press, Shoe Stretcher, Shoe Boot Jack's all size, Shoe molds "Last” 200 + Pairs. Lots of Hand tools and supplies! Etc. too many items to list! Call for more info at 586-719-3599
DINING ROOM table with 6 chairs; like new - originally $1,500 modern glass top 54" with off white base, must sell $500 OBO; 561-662-4757
1997 GREY SEBRING JXI CONVERTIBLE — new a/c, clean & well maintained. Engine & transmission in excellent condition and new top. Feel free to take it to a mechanic & check it out. Mint condition. $3,300 (561) 793-5569 (917) 494-3422
MOBILE HOME FOR SALE -3 bedroom, 2 baths, single wide 3 car parking. $8,500 OBO. (561) 201-8805